Kidnapped
by kristy267
Summary: Damon & Stefan are hired to kidnap Elena. Only after taking her, do they discover they've been played. When the tables are turned, Elena is found to be the only one who can keep the brothers from harms way. But will she risk everything to save them?
1. Chapter 1: Nothing More, Nothing Less

The young Salvatore brothers crept silently outside the Gilbert home. Their target, Elena Gilbert, was inside watching some movie with her parents and younger brother. How much more luck could the boys ask for? The only thing that would've made this job even easier, was if Elena happened to be home alone. But, that was pushing it.

The plan was: go in, get the girl and get out. Nothing more, nothing less. No one was to be killed or harmed unless there was no other way to get Elena. The reason Tony - the ruthless killer who'd hired the Salvatore's to kidnap Elena - wanted this girl was something the Salvatore's didn't even want to know. They'd been given their instructions, and would receive the money when the job was done. Easy, right?

"Don't screw this up, Stefan. You hear me?" Damon said, his voice was low but dangerous. When the oldest Salvatore spoke in that voice, it sent chills through his little brother.

"No need to worry about me, Brother. I have no intentions of getting killed," Stefan replied honestly.

Both Salvatore brothers knew, if _one _little thing happened to go wrong during this task, they'd both be dead in a heartbeat. Tony wasn't someone you wanted to screw over.

"Alright then, let's get this done."

_**One Hour Later**_

"Please, just untie my hands," Elena pleaded from the back seat of Damon's Camero. "They hurt. They're even turning purple. Look." Elena held her hands out in front of her, showing Stefan and Damon her lightly purple tinted hands.

"No." Damon told her simply, for about the ninth time. "Can't you just sit back there and be quiet?"

"And just why should I do something you want, if you won't do something for me?"

"Come on, Damon. What's the worst that could happen? We're in a moving vehicle. Where's she going to go?" Stefan whispered to his brother.

Damon gave his brother a sideways glance. "Don't you watch movies? She could jump out of the car!"

"I won't, I swear!" Elena insisted, waving her hands in front of her. "It might ruin my manicure."

Damon was silent as he thought about this. This girl was getting kidnapped, and she was worried about her nails? God, girls are stupid sometimes when it comes to their nails. Finally, getting tired of her requests, he nodded for Stefan to untie her. Elena practically jumped up and down with excitement.

"Now that, that's out of the way," Elena said in an almost sing-song voice, "where the hell are you taking me?" Her voice changed rather dramatically. She was no longer the ditz of a girl that Damon thought she was.

Damon stopped at a red light, and said, "I did something for you, now, it's your turn."

Elena rolled her eyes. "And what is it you want from me? Money? Sex? Food? Cause there's a homeless shelter right around that corner that has two out of three of those things, money being the thing it lacks." Stefan had a hard time controlling his laughter, as Damon lightly hit his head on the steering wheel in frustration.

"Let's put tape over her mouth, what do you say, Stefan?" Damon suggested.

"Don't you dare!" Elena shouted.

"Sure, we can kidnap you, but if we want to shut you up,_ that's _when you have a problem. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that a little backwards?"

"Come on, Damon, leave her alone."

Damon almost ran into the car next to them. "Leave her alone? She's the one bothering _me_!"

"Well, she has a right, you know. We _did_ kidnap her." Elena nodded in agreement.

And so it went on, for another hour. Elena, not getting an answer as to where in the world she was being carted off too. Damon trying not to strangle the girl he was getting paid to keep hostage for the time being. And Stefan being referee between his brother and the hostage. Without Stefan there, they all knew Damon would've said forget the money and have thrown Elena out of the car.

When the car arrived at the hotel Tony had told them to meet him at, Damon was more then happy to drag Elena out of the car. She wasn't exactly the easiest person to get out of a vehicle either. Damon took great pleasure in throwing her over his shoulder after she was out of the car. Seeing as Elena had tried to jump back _in_, after he'd spent ten minutes of precious time getting her _out_.

"Don't do that!" Damon shouted, when Elena kicked her leg towards his face.

"Then put me down, idiot!"

Stefan got the hotel room door open, and stepped aside so Damon and Elena could go in first. "Fine!" Damon then dropped Elena rather harshly on the bed. She bounced a few times, and ended up rolling off the bed and hit the floor with a loud and painful thud.

Damon doubled over in laughter as Stefan went to help Elena up. While Damon laughed, Elena picked up the phone sitting on the night stand and threw it right at him. Damon got lucky, she had bad aim.

"Hey!" He walked over and picked up the phone. "Don't damage the hotel goods. I don't want that to come out of our check!"

"So, that's why you took me, for money." Stefan shot a panicked look at his older brother. Elena wasn't suppose to know any part of the plan, just in case she got away or something and turned them in. "Who's paying you?"

"Santa Claus." Damon muttered, pulling his cell out to call Tony. It rang twice, and then a rough voice answered. "It's me." A pause, and then Tony came on the line. "Yeah, we got her. You got the money?"

"Don't ask me about the money!" Tony screamed. "I'm in charge here, not you, Salvatore!"

"So you've said." It took guts, but Damon said it anyways. Maybe Elena's "idiot" comment was right earlier. "Look man, my brother and I just want to get our money and get out of town. We got you the girl, now bring us the money."

"You'll get your money, when I get around to it," Tony growled. "I'll be there soon to pick her up." The line went dead, and Damon snapped his cell shut.

**XXXX**

Damon, Stefan, and Elena sat around for two hours. Tony didn't show, and he wasn't reachable on the number Damon had called before. The brothers were getting worried by the first hour. At this point, Damon was just plain angry. Stefan was still worried, and concerned about Elena. She hadn't said anything since Damn finished his call before. She just sat on the bed, staring at the wall. Stefan noticed tears glistening in her eyes, that hadn't been there before. Elena didn't cry, though it was obvious she wanted too.

"Maybe you should try calling again." Stefan suggested, watching his older brother pace through out the small hotel room.

Damon stopped pacing, to glare at his little brother. "If they didn't pick up the last _fifteen times_ I called, I don't think they are now."

"It was just a suggestion."

"I don't need your suggestions."

"Well, apparently you do because you don't know what your doing."

"I do know what I'm doing!" Damon shouted, walking over to Stefan. Stefan stood up, and they were almost exactly level with one another. Damon being just a few inches taller. No matter though, Stefan could hold his own against Damon if he needed too.

"You sure about that? From the looks of it, we got a bad deal. We kidnapped a girl, Damon! And made a deal with Tony - Tony the trigger happy mob lord!" Stefan realized his mistake right as the words rolled off his tongue. Both Damon and Stefan seemed to freeze, and then turned slowly to look at Elena.

Elena was staring at them with eyes wide as plates, and her mouth set in an "O" of terror. "Tony? Tony Kyle?" When neither boy said anything, Elena knew she was right.

No one said a word or moved for a long while. Tension was high in the room, as if they were all waiting for Tony to jump out of the closet or something.

It wasn't until the faint sound of sirens hit the young adults ears that any of them moved. Elena jumped off the bed and shot across the room to the door. Damon was hot on her heels. Elena manged to get the door unlocked and open before Damon grabbed her. She swung wildly at him, just barely missing his face each time.

"A little help here, Stefan?" Damon ducked another punch, as he wrapped his arms around the girls waist. Stefan came over from behind Elena, grabbed her arms, and held them behind her back.

"Help!" Elena shouted as loud as she could, though the sirens were still far off. "Let me go!" She brought her knee up and caught Damon in the stomach. He lost his hold on her, and fell forward to his knees. Elena took advantage of this, and kneed him in the face. Damon fell back, cursing, as his hands covered his nose and mouth. She wasn't sure where she'd hit him exactly, but she knew she'd done some damage to that handsome face of his.

Stefan still had a hold on her arms, but Elena solved that problem by bringing her head back and hitting him in the nose. Stefan's hands dropped, and went to his face much like his brother had done. Elena darted out of the motel room, and stopped in the parking lot for a moment. No one was around. Probably because the motel was so run down it looked like it'd been abandoned. She listened for the sirens, but they were still to far to do her any good. Elena glanced behind her, saw the guys were recovering quickly, and ran to Damon's car.

"No!" Damon yelled from just outside the room, watching Elena pull open the door to his beloved Camero. "Not the car, please!" He was well aware of the blood running down his face as he took off in Elena's direction.

Stefan wasn't sure if Damon was more worried about Elena getting away, or Elena getting away with his vehicle. Either way, he followed right behind his older brother out to the Camero. Elena'd locked the doors, and was frantically look for a spar set of keys in the car. When Damon got to the car, he was laughing. Which confused both Stefan and Elena. Why would he be laughing at a time like this?

"There's only one set of keys, my dear," Damon said, shaking with laughter. He hopped up on the hood of his car, and smiled in at Elena. "You can look all day, there's no way your getting that car to start."

Elena stopped searching for the keys, and instead fixed her attention on the older man sitting on her escape plan. Her eyes narrowed, and she glared at him with all she had. "You wanna bet?" Elena ducked out of sight, and Damon stopped laughing.

"Don't even think about hot-wiring my car, woman!" He leap off the hood and marched over to the driver side door to see Elena doing the very thing he'd just said not too. Damon hit the window in frustration. "If you screw up my car, I'll kill you myself!"

Stefan knew Damon was protective of his car, but he didn't believe he'd go as far as killing someone over it. Thinking about the situation, Stefan realized he and Damon needed a new plan. The police sirens weren't so faint anymore. They were actually pretty clear now. It wasn't a sure thing that the cops were heading this way, but where else would they be going around here? The bored up gas station down the road? Crazy loon Fred's place, two blocks down? No, probably not. Which only left Harry's motel. Stefan had to admit, Tony'd planned this out pretty well.

"Are you just going to stand there?" Damon snapped, glancing between his brother and the girl hijacking his beloved.

_What am I suppose to do?_ Stefan thought bitterly. _Break the window and drag her out?_

Then, it was like something you see in the movies when someone gets an idea and the light bulb flashes over their head. Stefan was having one of those moments. He walked over to the passenger side door, took off his jacket, wrapped it around his fist for protection, and punched the window.

"I wanted you to help!" Damon screeched making his way over to the passenger side. "Not destroy my car!"

Stefan rolled his eyes, as Damon reached in and unlocked the door. Just as he was opening it up, Elena got the car started. She popped up out of the floorboard, and slammed her foot on the gas.

**a.n.: Well? What do you think? Review Please! :)**

**Disclaimer: I _don't_ own The Vampire Diaries no matter how sexy the cast is! ;)**


	2. Chapter 2: Cutest Couple

Damon leaped into the car, just barely saving his feet from being run over. "Have you lost your mind, woman!" He shouted, grabbing on to the dashboard to keep his self from being thrown out of the car.

Elena jerked the wheel to the right as Damon tried to close the passenger side door, almost sending him sailing head first out of the speeding vehicle. Damon sent her a glare that could have turned wine back into grapes.

"Don't look at me like that," Elena snapped. "Your the kidnapper in this situation."

"Really?" Damon plastered on a surprised fake look. "Gee, I thought I was the hostage."

"I'm unfortunately playing that role."

"If that's so then - _look out_!" Damon lunged to turn the wheel away from the on coming police car, sending him and Elena roughly to the right. It didn't help the out of control car, when Elena stomped on brakes. Damon - having been thrown to the side when the car turned - now found his face connecting with his beloved's windshield. Elena's collar bone slammed into the steering wheel. "It's official." Damon sighed, pushing himself off of the windshield.

"What is?" Elena wheezed out, having lost her breath from the impact of the wheel.

"You never had a mind to loose!"

"Me? Your the idiot who turned the wheel!"

Damon throw up his hands in frustration. "I'm not the idiot who hit the brakes like a mad women!" Elena's mouth opened in another insult for the oldest Salvatore, but she snapped it shut a second later. Her eyes were focused on something behind Damon's shoulder. When he turned to see what it was, Elena took the chance to jump out of the car she'd tried so hard to start just minutes before. "Oh, no, you don't!" Damon called, taking hold of Elena's shirt at the right moment.

"Ouch!" Elena exclaimed, hitting her head painfully on the hood of the car when Damon jerked her back inside.

"Get your physically fit body, back in this car." Damon ordered, leaning over Elena's body to close her door.

Elena seated herself right, and turned to glare at Damon. "You see those people out there?" She point a slender finger out to the police quickly assembling around the Camero. "Their called cops. All it's only to take is one good scream, and they'll be all over you faster then you can blink."

A dangerous smile graced Damon's lips. The look in his blue eyes told Elena he knew something she didn't. "Woman, like I told my brother, I know what I'm doing." Something cold jabbed it's self into Elena's delicate side. Her eyes moved down from Damon's face, to her side - where a small black handgun was pointed. "Now, how much do you want to bet, I can shoot you before those police men get over here?" He asked, cocking one silk black eyebrow at the younger girl. "You do as I say, and no one gets hurt. Got that?"

"Yeah, I got it," Elena said, grinding her teeth together in pure anger. _Where does this jerk get off putting a gun to me? This guy really loves his car, apparently. _She thought bitterly.

"Good," Damon smiled smugly. "Now, let's get out of here before we're noticed."

"What about your brother?" Elena asked, gaining her a sharp stab in the rib with the gun. She almost punched Damon square in the nose for that, but thought better of it. After today, getting shot was the last thing Elena needed right now.

Damon cast a quick glance at Stefan, who was currently getting arrested. Though it pained him to leave his brother to fend for himself, right now the best thing for them all was to just get himself and Elena out of here. To mask his feelings from Elena, Damon shrugged carelessly. "He's old enough to take care of himself. Now drive."

**XxXxXx Three Hours Later XxXxXx**

"We're going to _what_?" Elena exclaimed, looking at Damon like he'd grown a second head.

Damon sighed. "For the third time: we are going to break Stefan out of Jail."

"No, no way. I'm not having any part in this," Elena told him stubbornly, shaking her head. "I'm not going to get arrested saving one of my kidnappers, just because my other kidnapper doesn't have a clue as to what he's doing."

Damon resisted the urge to slap her. He didn't understand why Tony didn't want Elena dead - she was absolutely annoying. He was, on the other hand, starting to realize why Tony had called the cops on them. Tony had come to his sense's and realized just how much of a handful the girl was, and decided to ditch her. The only way to do that? Throw the Salvatore's under the bus.

"Your not getting it, dear," Damon said, opening his door, "If you help me get my brother out of Jail, you go free. As long as you keep you pretty little mouth shut about who kidnapped you, we all go free. No one gets hurt, and we all live happily ever after."

"What are you? A bad fairy tale narrator?"

Damon gave a frustrated grunt, and got out of the car before he killed Elena. Unfortunately, she decided to follow him, chattering the whole time about how ignorant his plan was. As they walked into the convenient store, Damon held the door open for Elena out of sheer reflex - thinking all the while that he should have let the door hit her in the face.

When the two made it to counter with their snacks - which Damon had only agreed to stop for because Elena wouldn't shut up about starving to death - the cashier smiled brightly at them.

"Engaged?" The red haired woman behind the counter asked, ringing the food up.

"Excuse me?" Damon thought he'd heard the woman wrong.

"You two make the cutest couple. Are you engaged yet?"

Elena started laughing so hard, tears rolled down her cheeks. Damon paid for the food without another word, and dragged Elena - who was now doubled over in laughter - out of the store.

"Would you cut it out?" Damon asked, once they were out of the store and headed for the car. "That wasn't funny."

"The heck it wasn't! That's the funniest thing I've heard in a long time, actually." Elena was wiping her eyes when Damon came to a dead stop in front of her. "Hey!" Her voice was muffled by the cloth of his leather jacket, as Elena ran into his back.

"Be quiet!" Damon hissed, taking her hand and pulling her towards the car. He was walking a lot faster then before.

"Don't tell me too - " His hand clamped down over her mouth before she could finish. Just to spite him, Elena played a little kid and licked the hand over her mouth.

"Oh, so, we're five now?" Damon muttered under his breath. "In that case, children sit in the back." A moment later, Elena found herself being shoved into the backseat. Damon had the car in motion before Elena could protest and move up front.

"I'm not a child!" Elena yelled, starting to climb over into the front. Damon placed his hand over Elena's face, and pushed her down on to the backseat. "What the hell is your problem?"

"Tony Kyle is my problem," Damon snapped, "next to you, of course."

"Tony was at the store? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Woman, I _swear_, you don't know how to use that brain God gave you."

"I have a name you know."

"I'm aware of that. We all have names. What's your point?" Damon knew good and well what Elena's point was, but he just wanted to get under her skin.

Elena slapped Damon's hand away as she forced her way up to the front of the car. Once she was settled into the passenger seat, she turned and faced Damon. "Okay, Mr. 'I Know What I'm Doing' what's the plan?"

"Didn't we already discuss this?" He groaned, wishing desperately to stop the car and throw her to the wolves.

"We've been over your _stupid _plan, yes, but you need another plan. Something smarter. Something that _doesn't_ involve me."

"Believe me, Honey, if I could do this without you, I would."

"Then why don't you?"

"Because your the key."

Elena's brows pulled together in confusion. "The key to what exactly?"

"The key to getting back at Tony." Before she could protest, he added, "And to getting my brother out of jail."

**a.n.: Reviews are greatly appreciated! :)**


	3. Chapter 3: JailBreak

"I better not get arrested for this," Elena said under her breath, as she walked towards the local Police station. She was still trying to wrap her mind around how she'd gotten into this mess. One minute, Elena was sitting at home enjoying time with her family, and the next she was taking part in a jailbreak.

Damon had made it clear to Elena, that she'd be going home once Stefan was free, and they could all go on their marry way. But how could Elena do that? The most dangerous man around wanted her for reason's she didn't even know. Though Damon and Stefan didn't succeed in turning Elena into Tony, who's to say the next idiot who needs a little cash, won't?

"Ma'am, are you alright?" A sandy haired policeman asked Elena as she staggered inside the air conditioned Police Department.

Elena had made an anonymous call not so long ago, reporting a murder - which had sent away most of the cops. And lucky for her, the Police Department was rather small, much like the town.

The sandy haired cop sat behind a large desk at the front of the building. Behind him was a door, which Elena figured led to the Sheriff's Office. Off to her left, was a hallway and a quick glance told her that's more then likely where the cells were. And finally, to Elena's right was the interrogation room and a bathroom. The closer she got to the desk, the better things got for her. Sitting right there for the taking were a set of keys - a seat of keys in which Elena hoped unlocked Stefan's cell.

Elena mustered up some fake tears, making her act all the more believable. She gave the Officer some story about being robbed, and it wasn't until halfway through that the guy remembered he was suppose to write it down. Elena breathed a sigh of slight relief. What cop forgot about something like that? She wasn't even a cop and knew you were suppose to write down the victims statements. He must be new.

Once that was out of the way, he went into the back to get a sketch pad. Elena took this chance to snatch the keys from the desk, hoping he wouldn't notice.

"Can I have some water or something, please?" Elena asked in the most innocent voice she could muster, after giving the cop a false description. She almost described Damon, but changed her mind. At the moment, Damon and Stefan were her allies. She couldn't let the Police have any information that might lead back to her or Damon, once Stefan was free.

"Sure, I'll be right back." She waited until the man - who had identified his self as Officer White - disappeared into the back again, and then took off down the hallway she hoped held Stefan's cell. As luck would have it, Stefan was being held down the hall Elena had spotted upon coming inside the station.

"Elena? What are you doing here?" Stefan asked, standing from the seat he'd taken on the floor.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" She answered, a little breathlessly.

"It looks like your attempting a jailbreak." He sounded rather doubtful in Elena's abilities.

"What can I say? Your brother corrupted me."

Stefan laughed, and watched impatiently as Elena tried one key after another. "By that you mean, he either threatened you into doing this or charmed you into it." Elena wouldn't admit it, but she felt that statement fit Damon rather perfectly.

"Got it!" Elena exclaimed as the cell door clicked open.

The teenagers hurried down the hallway, the tension raising the closer they got to the front door. They both came to a stop when Officer White, stepped into their path.

"We can do this the hard way, or the easy way," The cop said, eyes shifting between the two. "Which is it going be?"

Stefan and Elena exchanged looks. As far as Stefan was concerned, Elena was running this show. She was the one who broke him out, when she should have been trying to keep him _in _jail. So, Stefan figured he'd just do whatever she decided.

Elena sighed dramatically, and held her hands out in front of her. "Okay, you've got us. We'll do things your way." Both her face and voice said defect. But her eyes? They said the complete opposite.

The officer placed one hand on Elena, and that was all she needed. Stefan watched in stunned silence as the younger girl took down the cop without a problem. Before Stefan could even think about stepping into give her a hand, Elena had the man unconscious on the ground.

"What are you staring at?" She asked, brows raised.

Stefan shrugged one shoulder and said, "I'm just trying to figure out how a girl like you learned how to take down a member of the law enforcement." Pink tinted Elena's cheeks. Stefan couldn't help but notice how cute she looked when she blushed.

**XxXx**

"What took you so long?" Damon demanded as Elena and Stefan slipped into the car.

"Damon, have you ever broken anyone out of jail?" Elena asked, having to work to keep her voice level.

"No." Damon couldn't see how her question was relevant to his.

"Then how do you know, that was a long period of time for an escape from law enforcement?"

"The fact that the cops are pulling up now," Damon said putting his car into drive. Elena pressed her lips, and said nothing. Damon's eyes lit up almost instantly. "Could it be? Have I, Damon Salvatore, rendered the Sarcastic Queen, Elena Gilbert, speechless?" The only reply he received was a glare. Damon couldn't help but laugh as he sped out of the parking lot. "Ah ha! So it's true. She's got nothing to say."

"_Actually_," Elena chimed a few seconds later, "I _do _have something to say."

"Oh, and what might that be, Miss. Gilbert?"

"We're about to be arrested if you don't lose the four cop cars tailing us." Her voice was rather smug sounding in Damon's ears. He glanced in the review mirror only to find Elena was right. "Unless, that's what you want. Then by all means, jump out now. Stefan and I will play chase with the Police."

"I do believe you've met your match, Brother," Stefan chuckled from the passenger seat.

"Impossible," Damon snapped, stomping his foot down on the gas pedal. "She's good, but not _that _good."

**a.n.: Review Please! :)**


	4. Chapter 4: Infuriating

**Chapter Four: Infuriating**

"You couldn't have sprung for two rooms?" Elena asked, surveying the small motel room.

Damon sigh loudly, as he flopped down on to the queen sized bed. "I barely had enough money to get _one_ room, much less two."

Elena walked over to the couch, started to sit down, saw a roach crawl out from between the two cushions and changed her mind. "Don't get to comfortable on that bed," She told Damon. "I'm sleeping there."

"If so, your sleeping with me."

"I'm doing no such thing!"

Damon kicked off his shoes and put his hand behind his head before flashing her a smile. "Well, then, you'll be sleeping on the couch."

"Damon, be a gentlemen and let her have the bed," Stefan told his brother in a timid tone as he started removing the cushions from the bug friendly couch.

The eldest Salvatore laughed. "I'm not making her sleep in the car, am I? That's gentlemen enough if you ask me."

In the end, Damon and Elena agreed to share the bed as long as Damon swear on his life that he'd keep his hands to himself. Stefan made his self right at home on the bug infested couch and it wasn't long before he was dead to the world.

"Your hogging the covers," Elena grumbled, giving the comforter a jerk in her direction.

Damon pulled it back to him. "Then go sleep in the car."

"I'm not sleeping in the car!"

"Well, then, shut up!"

Elena's jaw tightened in frustration. "Men are so _infuriating_," She grounded out, as she scooted backwards. It didn't take long before her back was pressed closely against Damon's, much to her dismay.

"It's women who make us men so infuriating. If you've got a problem with men, it's your own fault."

"Oh, yeah, because _that _makes a lot of sense."

After spending an hour doing what Elena and Damon do best - arguing - they both fell asleep. Neither of the Salvatore brothers, or even Miss. Gilbert knew of the dangers that awaited them in the morning hours. As they slept, none of the innocent young adults had any idea of the plans being set in motion by ruthless killers.

**XxXx**

When Elena woke up the next morning, it was to the sound of the shower. On any other occasion, she would've gotten up, but this morning was different. Someone's arms were wrapped around her waist, holding her closely to their warm body.

Elena blinked her eyes open only to see a man's muscular chest in her face. Her head rested on the upper half of the person's body, and her face was pressed against the guy's abs. It was rather comfortable, she had to admit. Elena was tempted to stay right where she was at, and snuggle close the man, but common sense registered in her mind before she could.

Elena tried to ease her way out of his arms without waking him. It was a lost cause though, seeing as his arms were placed rather securely around her. She moved her eyes off his luscious chest and up to his face. Damon's eyes were half open and he had a smile playing on his lips.

"Good Morning," He said sleepily.

"Morning to you too." Elena tried to get out from his hold and failed again. She sighed. "Can I get up now?"

Damon's eyebrows pulled together in confusion. He didn't seem to realize his arms held her in place until a minute later. His confusion was replaced with a sheepish look. "Oh, sorry bout that."

Damon slipped his arms off of Elena's waist and back over to himself. Elena moved over a little from him, but didn't get out of bed. They were now both well aware of their feet being entangled, but neither said a word about it.

They laid there in bed for the longest time, just staring at one another. Elena couldn't stop her self from thinking Damon had this little boy air to him. With all the time she'd spent with him over the past day, she hadn't seen it before. But now, in the morning light, it was like she was seeing a whole other person.

Damon saw a similar innocence in Elena. She wasn't some street savvy women right now; there were no walls up, no barriers. The Elena Damon was seeing now, was the _real _Elena.

When the bathroom door swung open, and Stefan stepped out buttoning up his shirt, Damon and Elena sprang out of bed as if they'd been doing something wrong. Stefan simply shook his head.

**XxXx**

"Something's not right, Damon," Stefan whispered to his older brother.

"Everything seems fine to me."

Stefan cast an uneasy glance to the bathroom door, the shower was still going so there was little chance Elena could hear them. Still, he kept his voice low. "Don't you find it a little odd that Elena's been so compliant?" Damon arched an eyebrow in question. "Before, she was stealing your car to escape. You didn't see her take down that cop, Damon. I'm telling you, if she wanted to take us out she could have long ago. I just don't understand why she's suddenly so unresistant."

"Have you thought that maybe she's just realized who's in charge here?" Damon offered.

Stefan gave him an exasperated look. "Damon. Please. Think reasonably for five minutes. Put aside your feelings for the girl, and really _think_."

"Feelings? I haven't got feelings for her! We kidnapped her, Stefan. I'm not one of those idiots who fall for the chick they hold hostage."

"Then start acting like it!" Stefan exclaimed. "Right now, it just seems like she's along for the ride. If she's really our hostage, then start treating her like one."

"What do you want me to do? Tie her up and lock her in the trunk?"

"Don't even think about it." Elena's voice through the wooden door caused both Damon and Stefan to jump. A moment later, Elena stepped out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a white towel. Both Salvatore's stood there and gawked at her with their mouths hanging open. Elena walked over, placed her hand under Damon's chin, and closed his mouth. "You don't want a fly to mistake your mouth for his home, now do you?" She addressed Stefan now. "It's not polite to stare like that. What's so shocking anyways?"

Stefan snapped out of his stunned state before his older brother. "Um, it's, uh, just that you look a lot like someone we use to know, with your hair like that," Stefan stammered out.

Elena ran a self conscious hand through her hair. "You mean with the waves?" Stefan nodded. "Weird."

Damon blinked a few times, as if he had something in his eye. "We should get going," He said at last.

"You got a plan?" Stefan wondered aloud, his eyes following Elena as she made her way back towards the bathroom.

"Not really," Damon admitted.

"What, you don't know the way back to my house?" Elena called from the bathroom. When she stepped out she added, "Don't worry, I'm sure - "

"I'm not taking you home."

"_What_?" Elena whipped around to focus on Damon. "You said if I helped you get Stefan out of jail, that was it. I could go home and we'd all live happily ever after. _Remember_? That was our deal."

Damon gave an unconcerned shrug and met her eyes. "Plans change, darling."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Said a voice that sent chills down the trios back. As one Damon, Elena, and Stefan whirled around to face the doorway.

One hand on the doorknob, and the other holding a gun, Tony Kyle greeted them with a wickedly cruel smile.

**a.n.: *cue dramatic music* Our villain has entered! It can only go down hill from here, right? **

**And thank you so much for all the wonderful Alerts and Favorites! :)  
**

**Review Please!  
**


	5. Chapter 5: Fury

"Come along, children, we have much to do and very little time," Tony spoke in an overly cheerful voice. He waved that gun of his around as if it were a toy. Between the weapon and Tony's two goons, Damon, Stefan and Elena had little choice but to obey.

"We had a deal, Tony," Damon said as the threesome made their way out the door of the hotel room. Damon noticed the way Elena scanned the area for escape routes as soon as the sunlight hit her. When she sighed, he knew it was in defeat. "I thought you were a better business man than this."

"My business is none of yours, Mr. Salvatore."

"It is if you screw me over!"

Tony grabbed hold of Damon's shirt, pulled him to a stop, just before throwing him against the closest wall. When Tony's face came so close to Damon's, he could smell the cheap booze and stale cigarettes on the older man's breath. It was rather repulsing.

"I didn't screw you over. We never had a deal, Salvatore. Do you really think I'm stupid enough to hire a couple of idiots like you and your brother to do my dirty work?" Tony used one hand to keep Damon against the wall, and the other to wave someone over. "I think it's time your little act comes to an end, don't you, Miss. Pierce?" Elena stepped up next to Tony, wearing a devilish smile that made Damon's blood run cold. No... It couldn't be... Not Elena.

"Thank God! I was getting rather bored." When she spoke in that tone, Damon could swear she was a different person. A person he didn't wanna think about. Someone he knew to be dead, but desperately wished her not to be. He'd worked hard to ignore how much Elena resembled Kathrine, but he just couldn't anymore. There wasn't a single outside difference between the two and it scared him more then he'd like to admit. "Something wrong, Damon? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"You look so much like her," He breathed, suddenly unable to take his eyes off Elena.

Tony and Elena exchanged looks, both smiling like they knew something Damon didn't. "Well, I should look like Kathy, being sister and all."

"_Sister_?" Stefan chimed from behind. "Kathrine didn't have a sister."

Elena whirred around and charged over to where the younger Salvatore stood. "Just because you didn't know doesn't make me anything less then her sister. Kathy didn't always tell you boys everything, you know."

"Simmer down," Tony demanded. "Everyone in the van."

"How did it happened?" Stefan questioned in a low voice once they'd all piled into Tony's vehicle. Some blonde guy on Tony's payroll drove with Tony next to him in the passenger seat. Damon, Elena, Stefan and Goon Number 2 were seated in the back. "How did she die?"

"Like you don't know," Elena hissed.

"Don't let them get to you, Elena," Tony chorused from the front. In other words, he was telling them to shut up.

"We don't," Damon told her. Elena stared angrily a head, trying her hardest to ignore the men and the lies she believed they were feeding her. "Kathrine was our friend and we didn't even know she was gone until a year after the fact."

"Stop with the talking!" Tony's voice was twice as loud since they were in such a small space. "Be good little hostages and shut your mouth."

"If you knew your sister at all, Elena, you know how much she cared for us," Stefan's words hit close to home. Elena knew far to well what the Salvatore's had meant to her sister. Kathy cared for them both so much, Elena often felt she wasn't as important as Damon and Stefan. "Please, your the only one who can tell us what happened."

"I'm not telling the men who murdered her anything!" Elena shouted without intending too.

Tony turned around to glare at her. "Shut your mouth, before I shut it for you," He growled.

Before her head dropped, Damon caught the fearful look in her eyes. Having just found out Elena was the sister to an old flame and apparently in cahoots with a mob lord, didn't change the feelings he held for her. He had no intentions of admitting to those feelings of course, but that didn't mean they weren't there.

"Elena - "

"Just shut up, Damon."

"Not until you tell me what the hell's going on."

"Ask Tony."

"I'm asking you."

Elena slide her eyes up, but kept her head down. Damon was surprised to see tears bordering her lashes. She was on the currently winning side, what did she have to be upset about?

"I can't tell you anything," She whispered.

"You owe us."

Her head snapped up. "_I_ owe _you_? You killed my sister, Damon, I don't owe you a damn thing!" Elena screamed. "Kathrine trusted you. She loved you! And what do you two do in return? You murder her! How is it that I owe you after you took away my only family? If you wanna talk about oweing someone, think about who owes me!"

Quick as a snake with no warning, Tony whipped around and grabbed a handful of Elena's hair. He jerked her forward with so much force, she thought he'd pull her hair from her head. Despite the anger she was throwing out at the Salvatore's a moment ago, none of that was around now. The only emotion she was feeling right now was fear. Tony had that way with people. He could strike fear into the heart of anyone.

"If you don't shut your mouth, your not going to be able to talk for a week. I've done it before, and I'll again, Elena," Tony spat into her ear before throwing her roughly back. "The next person that speaks gets a bullet in their head. Understand?"

Now then Damon understood Elena's earlier tears. Her other actions, remained a mystery still but at least he had one piece of the puzzle in place.

**XxXx**

Damon paced the small room, feeling like a caged animal. They hadn't brought Stefan back and he hadn't seen Elena since they arrived here. Where here was, Damon hadn't a clue. The most he knew of their location was that it'd taken a short time to get there.

Upon arriving, Damon and Stefan had been taken to the basement which was lined with cells, as if they were at a police station - or a castle with a dungeon, that to was an option. What Damon wouldn't give to be in jail other than where he was now.

Elena had been order to follow Tony, and the last Damon saw of her was when she disappeared up a set of stairs. Not long after Damon and Stefan were locked in their cell, someone came and took Stefan away. Damon knew he had to have been gone at least an hour or more by now.

The time he spent alone, he thought over the events of the past two days. How had he gone from being a kidnapper to being the one kidnapped? Tony wanted the Salvatore's for reasons Damon didn't know. Elena had said they were murders. Could that be why Tony was holding them? As punishment or something?

Damon rubbed a hand across his forehead, trying to ease the pain from his head.

"Headache?" Damon turned to face the bars when he heard her voice. "I might be able to get you some aspirin."

"I don't want aspirin, Elena, I want to get out of here," He approached the bars, slipped his arms through and let them dangle on the outside. His only bit of freedom. "Know where I can get a key?"

Elena leaned against a set of bars on the cell across from Damon's. "Can't help you there."

Damon scuffed. "Course not. The only thing your good at is tricking people."

She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. "You kidnapped me first."

"Good point, but I had no intentions of killing you."

"No, you were gonna let Tony do that part."

"Like you are now?"

"You know what they say about Karma."

He stared at her with more emotions playing in his eyes then she could see. "Tell me the truth, Elena... What does Tony want with us?"

Elena didn't answer right away. She had her poker face on, but he saw right through it. He could see the conflict raging behind her mask, but he couldn't understand it. Elena took two steps, so that her and Damon were face to face. The only thing separating them were the bars and lies.

"He wants the same thing I want," Elena's mouth spoke the words directly into Damon's ear. Hadn't she been so close, he would have missed her words. "You and your brother are going to die. It's nothing against you personally, Damon, it's just business. Or justice. Call it what you want." She took a step back, indicating she was finished.

"Justice for what exactly?"

Elena's complex expression melted away and was replaced with fury. Both her hands flew up to the bars, and she gripped them so tightly her knuckles whitened. She didn't whisper in his ear this time, instead she fixed her eyes on his.

"For murdering my sister." Each word came out like fire.

Damon matched her anger and tone almost exactly. "We didn't do anything to Kathrine."

"_Liar_!" She shrieked.

"Why do you believe so strongly that we did it?" Damon demanded.

"He's a mob lord, you idiot. He's got eyes everywhere. Someone saw you."

"Impossible. We did nothing."

Elena clenched her jaw and turned away from Damon. A moment later, she released the bars and pushed herself away from his cell. "Fine. Deny it. Deny it until your on your death bed, I don't care. Because one way or another, your gonna die and there is _nothing_ you can do about it."

"Oh yeah? We'll see who's dead when this is all over!" He called as Elena retreated down the hall in her cloud of fury. Once he was sure she was gone, Damon let himself slide to the floor. He suddenly felt exhausted. He ran a hand over his face several times, trying to get a hold of his self.

"I didn't kill Kathrine, Elena," Damon whispered to open air. "But I know who did."

**a.n.: Well? What do you think? I'll admit, I've written and rewritten this chapter more times then most. I couldn't decided on multiple things that are major to the story. Did I do right by the story or have I thrown it to the ground and buried it? I really would love some feedback, so please review! :)  
**

**Sorry this took so long, we moved a few weeks ago and you all know how much time and trouble goes into that. I'll try and get the next chapter out sooner.**

**_Important Question_: Is there a character from the show that you'd like to see in the story? I can't make any promises on anyone yet, but I would like to add in some others outside of our usual threesome.**


	6. Chapter 6: New Ally

Elena returned to her room to find Tony waiting for her. He laid on her bed as if he owned it. She had half a mind to push him off, but thought better of it. Elena removed her shoes, before crawling on to the bed. Her feet dangled off the edge as she laid down on her stomach and rested her chin on his chest.

"Visiting the prisoners?" He didn't sound mad at her anymore, but the throbbing bruise on her back reminded her not to say the wrong thing.

"Just informing him of his fate," Elena thought it best to leave out the fact that she also wanted to see if Damon was okay. She'd spent very little time with Damon, but feelings had formed for him. And they scared her almost as much as Tony did. "What'd you do with Stefan?"

Tony brought his hand to Elena's hair, and began to brush his fingers through it. At one time, Elena found this relaxing and a sign of love, but not anymore. Now it took most of her willpower not to flinch away from his touch.

"Daniel's having a word with him." In other words, it meant Stefan was going to be black and blue for a while.

Elena began to make a trail of kisses. She started with his chest, went to his neck, and finally ended on his lips. "I'm sorry about before," Elena whispered between kisses.

Tony sighed. He placed a rough hand under her chin and stopped her trail. He forced her to look him in the eye. Elena hated it when he did that. It was easier to lie when she didn't have to look him in the eye.

"You understand why I do what do, don't you?" Tony asked, in an innocent voice that made Elena want to slap him. "I hit you to teach you to respect me. That doesn't mean I love you any less." Tony beat her because he could, not because he loved her. Elena let him push her around and that's why he took advantage. Plain as that.

"Yes, I understand," Elena lied.

"Want to make earlier up to me?" Tony asked it as a question, but Elena knew she had no say in it.

She plastered on a sexy smile. "Of course."

On the outside, Elena said she loved Tony and pretended to be loyal. But it was all an act. The beatings, the sex, the crimes and lies - she put up with it for one reason and one reason only. Kathy. Someone had to get revenge when Kathrine couldn't. With Elena being Kathy's sister, it was her job to see to it that justice was served to those who deserved it. A year ago, Elena promised herself she would get justice for Kathy. Justice just happened to come in the form of Tony Kyle. And Elena wouldn't give up until Kathrine's murderers paid.

**XxXx**

"Breakfast time, gentlemen." Damon woke up to the sound of a female voice. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and tried to focus on the woman standing outside the bars. It wasn't Elena, she didn't have an accent. Elena's hair was long, this woman's hair did good to come to her shoulders. "Nice shiner you got there," She said, probably eying Stefan. When the youngest Salvatore had returned, he could hardly walk and one eye wouldn't be opening anytime soon.

Stefan and Damon rose from their painful positions on the cement floor and walked over to the bars. Closer now, Damon could see the woman better. She was rather pretty, and held an air of confidence. Studying her a bit more, Damon thought she looked familiar. Had they met before?

"You call this breakfast?" Stefan complained, peeking into the brown bag the woman had handed him through the bars. "I'd hate to see your idea of garbage."

The woman sent Stefan a sour look. "If you don't want it, I'll take it back."

Stefan stepped back from the bars, flinched from moving the wrong way, and said, "No, we'll take what we can get."

She smiled. "That's what I thought." Her attention moved to Damon. "Staring is rude, Mr. Salvatore."

"So is holding human beings in a cage. Have we met before?" He hadn't intended to ask her so bluntly, but it was to late to change that now.

"Perhaps." She suddenly looked uncomfortable. The woman cast cautious glances up and down the hall. Her voice dropped a considerable amount when she said, "We've never officially met but you know my older brother, Trevor." Trevor was an old friend of Damon's. He had seen photos of Trevor's little sister, Rose, but like she said, they had never met. "If you can hold a little longer, I should be able to get you and Stefan out of here alive."

"Why would you risk everything for us? Tony could kill you." Damon didn't want to have the guilt of Rose's death on his consensus if something were to happen.

Rose shrugged. "I'm not the one risking everything. I don't have anything left to risk," Rose paused, and seemed to struggle with her next set of words. "My brother was killed. He was all I had left." Another death Damon hadn't known about. If he lived through this, Damon promised himself that he would work on keeping in touch with friends.

Damon reached through the bars, and took Rose's hand in his. "I'm sorry."

A single tear rolled down Rose's face. She allowed her self that only moment of weakness, before putting her walls back up. She released Damon's hand, composed her face and lifted her head. Damon was surprised at how well she'd gotta at putting on a good front. It was clear Trevor's death still haunted her, but it was only clear when her walls were down. While up, she was a different person.

"Don't be sorry, you didn't kill him." On that note, Rose turned on her heels and walked away.

Damon watched her go down the hall until he could see her anymore. It was strange. He had a need to know more about her. Rose was someone who got into your mind and didn't let go so easily. First, Elena and now Rose, who next a blonde named Lexi?

Stefan was staring confusedly at his older brother when Damon turned to face him. Stefan still stood with the brown bag in his hands, looking as if he hadn't moved. How much had he heard? Damon would bet money on Stefan having heard a hundred percent of the conversation. And from the look he was giving Damon, he wasn't completely sure what had just happened.

"It's rude to stare Stefan," Damon said, half mocking Rose. He snatched the food from his little brother and started rummaging through the bag, looking for something half decent worth eating.

Stefan rolled his eyes and took the bag back. "So was that."

The brothers ate what they could of the food in silence. Damon was still trying to wrap his mind around how he kept letting his emotions control him. A week ago, he wouldn't have cared much if Trevor was dead or alive. Before getting mixed up with the mob, Damon hadn't cared much about anyone but himself and Stefan. Now, Damon found himself feeling sorry for Rose. And Elena, even though she was on the let's-kill-the-Salvatore's bandwagon. Maybe he was caring so much now, to make up for lost time.

"Do you think she can do it?" Stefan asked, bring Damon's mind back.

"Do I think who can do what?"

Stefan rolled his eyes. "Rose. Do you think she can get us out of here alive?"

"I know one things for certain," Damon turned and met Stefan's eyes. "One of us is getting out of here alive, one way or another. And it's not going to be me."

"Damon I'm not - "

"This isn't up for discussion, little brother. If Rose is anything like her brother, she'll be at least half successful. Someway, somehow, your getting out of here. Alive." _I hope_, was added silently to that sentence.

**a.n.: Review Please! :)**


	7. Chapter 7: Elena

**a.n.: Due to inspiration and a change of mind, I've decided not to delete and try to continue writing.**

Two plans were in action. Rose's to save the Brothers and Tony's to kill them. As if plans weren't already hard enough to keep together and on track. Though it seemed Tony and Rose's plans were complete opposites they did have one thing in common however: Elena. Kathrine's sister was the link between the two, even if she didn't know it.

Tony was doing nothing but using the girl. He thought of her purely as someone to replace Kathy. Elena was also used as his own personal punching bag. Though he throw around words like "love" he didn't mean it. Love was simply a word used to get Elena to do what he pleased to her and have her not even utter a single complaint.

Rose, on the other hand, wanted to help Elena. She felt Elena was some lost girl just trying to get justice for her sisters murder. Rose thought if she could get Elena on her side, then it'd be easier to take Tony down. Or, for starters, to get Damon and Stefan out of harms way. The only problem was, Elena was so hung up on Tony, his lies and false promises, Rose doubted the girl would see reason if slapped her in the face.

Enter Damon. If anyone could get Elena to see reason, it was him. At least that's what Rose was hoping for.

"Are you mental?" Damon asked Rose when she voiced her plan to him.

"Some might say so. Seeing as I'm going against a mob lord to save you and your brother for no personal gain."

Damon ignored her idea of a joke. "Elena is never going to listen to me."

"Don't be so sure about that," Stefan added. Damon turned his attention to his little brother. "I've seen you two together. She's got it bad for you, Damon. And, though you won't admit it, you like her too."

"No. I don't."

"Liar."

"It's not a lie when I'm telling the truth."

"Right. But your _not_ telling the truth."

"Can we get back to the matter at hand now?" Rose asked before Damon could continue bantering with his brother. The Salvatore's brought their attention back to the British accented woman. "It can't hurt to try. I'll get Elena to come down here, but it's up to you two get her on our side."

Rose walked away then, leaving no room for arguments.

**xxxx**

Elena was sitting in her room flipping through a book she had no intention of reading. There was a light knock on her door. Elena almost ignored it. She wasn't in the mood for company. Or the questions that could come when whoever was at the door caught sight of her face. There was a second knock. Elena sighed and tossed the book aside.

"What?" She demanded as she swung the door open.

Rose flashed a smile. "I don't know if now is a good time or not, but the hostages are asking to see you."

"And I'm just suppose to run down there like I have nothing better to do?" Elena shook her head. "Not going to happen." She went to close the door, but Rose's hand shot out and kept the white wood from closing in her face.

"Please, it's in your best interest."

"To go see the men waiting to die," Elena deadpanned. Rose nodded. It seemed getting rid of Rose wasn't going to be an easy task. Elena wasn't in the mood to argue with her either. So, quite reluctantly, she agreed to accompany the other woman down to the cells.

When they made it to the hallway lined with cells that reminded most of prison cells, Rose gave Elena some bull crap excuse and ran off in the other direction. Elena almost turned and went back to her room. Then decided to continue on towards the Salvatore's, seeing as she'd all ready come this far.

"What an unexpected surprise," Damon said, raising off the floor to meet Elena at the bars.

Elena raised one brow. "Unexpected surprise? I think you need to go back to high school."

"If I agree to those terms, will you let us out?"

"Absolutely."

Damon opened his mouth, no doubt to deliver another sarcastic remake, but his words fell away from his lips when his eyes settled on Elena's face. She knew what he was seeing. A once pretty face ruined by a purple and black ring around one eye. To accompany the black eye, was a busted bottom lip. Both given to her by a man who hadn't liked her tone last night during dinner. Which of course was followed by a false apologize and cheap sex. Elena had long since grown use to it.

"Tony's doing I presume?" Damon asked, his voice taken down a great deal in volume.

Elena nodded solemnly. "None of your concern, though. Rose said you wanted to see me. Why?" Her words didn't hold as much emotion as they normally did. She just wasn't up for it all today.

Damon noticed her topic change, but didn't point out how unsubtle it was. "Your not going to like my answer to that question."

She shrugged one shoulder. "Try me."

"Tony's using you Elena. He's jerking you around like a dog does a chew toy. And from the looks of it, your like his own personal fist magnet."

"Your point?"

"My point is that you don't have to put with it." Damon cast uneasy glances up and down the hall, making sure no one else was around to hear his next set of words. "Rose has plan. She's getting out and she's getting us out too. Come with us, Elena. Escape the mob and get real justice for Kathrine."

Elena was taken back. Had the idiot really just told her his plan to escape? Had he honestly just given away his inside accomplice as well? And here she thought Damon was smarter then that.

"Kathy's murder _is_ going to get real justice." A spark of hope rose in Damon's eyes. Elena quickly put it out with her next words though. "When you two die tomorrow."

Damon hit the metal bars with the palm of his hand. "We didn't kill her!"

Elena shook her head in frustration. This had been a waste of time. She shouldn't have come down. "I'm not having this conversation with you again."

"Wait!" Damon called as she started to walk away. For some dumb reason, Elena did as he asked. Damon sighed and tried again at his attempt to get her on his side. "Listen, I know you think you can trust Tony's words. But you can't. He's lying to you, Elena. He's been lying this whole time."

She faced him once more. "Prove it."

"Look at your face!" Damon exclaimed, gesturing rather wildly at her injuries. "If that's not proof enough, then use your brain for once and really think. Tony is a ruthless killer and runs a mob. There's no trusting men like that!"

"But there is in men like you?" This comment actually rendered Damon speechless. "Yeah. I didn't think so."


	8. Chapter 8: Errors of Her Ways

Damon dreamed of her. He didn't like it, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. When he woke up, Stefan was still knocked out across the room. He sighed and ran a hand across his face. Damon wondered what time it was. The older man felt like he should be doing something. _Anything_.

The minutes were ticking away and he wasn't doing a single thing to stop his death sentence.

All his faith had been placed on Rose. For the first time, Damon wondered if that had been a mistake. Should he have placed his and Stefan's lives in the hands of one woman?

Damon sat there for a terribly long time, staring off into the distance. Elena's face played in his minds eye. He just couldn't understand why Elena was so sure about him having killed Kathy.

He was still getting use to the idea of Kat having a sister. Why hadn't he been told about Elena? Perhaps Stefan and Damon didn't know Kathy as well as they'd thought.

Elena might be currently on the wrong side, but that didn't mean she deserved to be treated the way Tony was treating her. No woman deserved to be hit. Nor did any man have a right to do so to a woman. Though Damon felt that he should continue to deny his feelings for Elena, it didn't hide the fact that he wanted to hurt Tony. Not just for holding Stefan and Damon in a cell like he had. But for what he'd done to Elena.

Damon shifted his thoughts from Elena to Kathrine's killer. He'd yet to inform anyone of his knowledge on who'd really killed the girl. He was almost positive of who it had been. Though, Damon thought it best to keep this to himself. Just in case, in the off chance, he was wrong. Wouldn't want to go around blaming people for murders they didn't commit, much like that was happening to himself. False assumptions would get them no where.

**xxxx**

Elena laid awake. Several floors below her sat a hallway of cells. One of those cells held two men. One dark and sarcastic with a hidden sensitive side. The other, sweet and gentle with a buried dark side. Both being blamed for the murder of a girl. A girl who'd played the two against one another once upon a time.

Kathrine hadn't cared who she hurt in her love games. She played everyone against one another and laughed while doing so. Elena didn't approve of her sisters ways. Personally, Elena thought what Kat did to the men in her life was wrong. But she sat back and kept her mouth shut. If Kathy wanted to ruin her chances of ever finding real love, that was her business.

Damon and Stefan weren't the only ones Kathrine had toyed around with until they hated each other. There were a select few that stuck out in Elena's mind.

Klaus and Elijah being two of them. Like the Salvatore's, they were brothers. Kat started dating Klaus first and then went behind his back and got together with Elijah. Naturally, when either brother found out, they turned against one another. Both believing she'd loved them. Elena knew the truth though. Kathy had been far from loving them.

Actually, she'd been far from loving any of the men she'd manipulated. Making guys fall in love with her and then crushing their unsuspecting hearts was nothing but a cruel game to the eldest Pierce sister.

Elena never thought those games would get her killed in the end though.

With a sigh, Elena got out of bed. It was nearing midnight and she'd been laying there thinking about Damon and Kathrine for hours. Everyone else was either already in bed or on their way.

She walked into the bathroom connect to her room and started up the water for a bubble bath. Bubble bathes were a type of weakness for Elena. She often thought about how romantic it would be to share a bubble bath with the man she loved.

Elena stared at herself in the egg shaped mirror. She ran her fingers along her bottom lip and then gingerly touched the dark bruise around her eye. Elena stripped her long sleeved navy shirt off. Technicolor spots that throbbed when touched scattered her arms, stomach and back. She slipped her jogging pants off to reveal similar places. Elena stood there in her under garments for the longest time.

"Is it worth it?" She asked herself aloud in a low tone. The beatings and the sex - was any of it worth seeing that Kathrine got justice?

And then there was the other question. "Are Damon and Stefan innocent?" They'd claimed over and over again they had nothing to do with Kathy's murder. But were they being truthful?

Elena jumped when the clock on her nightstand chimed. Midnight. Later today two men would be killed. Though Tony or one of his Goons would be the ones to pull the trigger, it didn't stop Elena from feeling any less guilty. A weight seemed to rest on her shoulders. If the escape plan failed, they would die. And it would be her fault.

Could she live with herself, though? Whether they were innocent or guilty, could she live with herself knowing the two had been killed because she thought it would bring justice?

Damon's earlier words came to mind as she relaxed into the warm water and bubbles. He'd taken a great leap of faith with her when he told her of their escape plan.

Elena didn't even have Rose on her list of people to watch out for - unlike a large number of Tony's people. She would have never thought Rose was working against Tony. And from the inside at that. Elena had to admit, Rose had guts. If Tony ever found out though, she'd be dead in a heartbeat. Damon had to know that. Yet, he'd still trusted Elena not to say anything.

As much as Elena hated to admit it, Damon had a few good points. Like Elena trusting Tony, even she knew that was stupid. Tony Kyle was the last person on this planet to be trusted. And yet, Elena found herself taking just his word on the fact that Damon and Stefan were the ones who'd killed Kathy.

Suddenly, it was like someone had slapped her in the face. It was a slap of logical thinking and reason. With the slap, the blinders on her eyes and mind were lifted.

At last, Elena saw the errors of her ways.

**xxxx**

Rose was startled awake by a pounding on her bedroom door. She groaned when her eyes landed on the clock. It was hardly past midnight.

"Yeah?" Rose called in the direction of her door, feeling little motivation to get out of bed at this hour.

"I'm in."

Those two words spoken from the mouth of Elena Pierce had Rose jumping out of bed. She flung the door open. Sure enough on the other side stood Tony's little abused minion.

"Your _what_?" Rose questioned, putting on a confused front.

"I'm in," She repeated. Elena stepped around Rose, entered the bedroom without invite and took a seat on the edge of the bed. Rose closed the door then turned to face Elena once more. "What's the plan?"

**xxxx**

The plan turned out to be Elena sneaking into Tony's office and getting the keys to unlock the cells. Something Elena hadn't thought about before agreeing to aid in Damon and Stefan's escape.

Elena's feet were the picture of silence as she made her way into Mr. Kyle's office. She managed to open the door, get inside and close the door back with no problem. Now Elena was faced with the challenge of finding the keys. She checked all the drawers first. Apparently, they were to easy of a hiding place.

"Looking for these?" Elena froze in the middle of the room. A chill ran down her back as a set of jiggling keys sounded from behind her. Slowly, Elena turned around.

Tony, dressed in a white suit that reminded Elena of far to many movies, stood in the doorway of his office. Dangling from his index finger was a small set of silver and gold keys. Keys made to fit into cell doors.

**xxxx**

"I don't know what you said to her," Rose told Damon. "but it worked."

Rose held a casual pose as she leaned against the Salvatore's door of bars. Damon had taken up pacing around the small cell. Stefan rested against the bars, his arms hanging out the other end.

Everything had gone from riding on Rose's shoulders, to Elena's. If she wasn't successful in snagging the keys from Tony's office, plan A was shot. While Plan B hadn't exactly been thought out just yet.

It was three in the morning. Four hours ahead of Rose's original timetable for action. Elena had suggested they go ahead and move now, instead of waiting. Damon liked this idea. The sooner they were out of Tony's gun range, the better.

**xxxx**

"No," Elena lied. She forced her body to relax and erased the guilty look off her face. "I was looking for you."

Tony raised his brows. "Of course you were. I spend all my free time inside my desk."

Elena laughed lightly. "Oh, that? Just curiousness taking over for a moment."

He didn't look convinced. Elena had to do something to distract him. Thinking on her feet, she approached Tony with the sexiest smile she could manage. She planted a kiss on him that didn't end until he was kissing her back. Elena brought her hands up and slipped his white jacket off. As it fell to the floor, she used her foot to kick it aside.

Tony moved forward. They shared another kiss and moved backward until Elena's back hit the desk. She allowed Tony to fill her up as her hand searched the desk for something heavy. As she found a stapler, Tony broke the kiss unexpectedly.

Acting on impulse, Elena brought the stapler around. Tony grabbed the stapler before it could hit him, then used his free hand to backhand Elena. She flinched from the sting of the impact.

He dropped the stapler nosily back on to the desk. Tony's hand came at Elena again, but she managed to dodge the strike. She pushed herself off the desk and side stepped around his broad body at the same time.

From there it was almost like a dance. Each step Tony took, Elena mirrored. She managed to block a large amount of his blows, allowing her arms to take the worst of it instead of her face.

This came as quite a surprise to Tony. Before, he'd been able to hit her with no problem. Elena wasn't taking a backseat to his beatings this time around.

**xxxx**

"What's taking so long?" Damon asked, having grown impatient.

Rose didn't look quite as relaxed as she had before either. "She should have been here by now."

"Think she changed her mind?" Stefan suggested. Both Rose and Damon shook their heads. Only Rose spoke though.

"No, not likely. You didn't see her face when she came to see me." She glanced at Damon and Stefan. "That girls on a mission. She's not going to give up until someone pays for Kathy's death."

"Just as long as it's not us." Stefan said what both brothers were thinking.

Despite their new found confidence in Elena, something didn't feel right to the three. As much as none of them wanted to admit it, their plans might not end up going accordingly after all.

And if this plan failed, Damon and Stefan could kiss their lives goodbye.


	9. Chapter 9: Mystic Falls

Elena gripped the letter opener tightly. She held on to it's handle like her life depended on it. In a way, it did. This was currently her only defense against Tony.

He came at her to fast and the letter opener ended up across the room. Now unless in aiding her. A second later Elena found herself being shoved violently against the closet wall.

Her air was limited due to the meaty arm he pressed against her throat. His breath smelled of cheap alcohol. Tony breathed heavily and directly in Elena's face. She struggled against his hold. It was a losing battle, though. Elena had worn her body out trying to protect herself earlier.

On a brighter note, he didn't look to good himself. No, she hadn't managed to hit him, but Tony did look tired. She'd given him a run for his money for once.

"I could kill you," Tony threatened putting his mouth right up to her ear.

"Then do it."

He smiled that cruel smile she hated. There was a paused, then he dropped his arm and took a step back. She didn't move from where she stood with her back pressed against the wall. "No. Death sounds to easy."

"What then?" Elena asked, her eyes taking in all his movements. She knew him well enough to know he wasn't just going to give up now. There was more to it all. It was just a matter of when he'd strike. When he did, she planned on being ready.

"I want things to return to normal."

Movement caught her eye. She tried to look without tipping Tony off that she'd seen something. Though when she realized who had joined them, a smile was hard to control.

"There was never anything normal about us." _Us_ was used loosely.

"Before you turned against me, we had a nice little relationship." She wondered if he was on drugs. It was likely. Never can know for sure with the mob though.

"No," She took her first steps away from the wall. "We didn't."

He sighed. "You'd rather me kill you?"

"Absolutely."

"That can be arranged, you know."

"Not today it can't be," Rose said this as she swung the golf club. All it took was one good swing to the head and he was out.

Elena smiled gratefully at Rose. "Thanks."

"No problem." Rose bent over the fallen mob lord. He was still breathing, but should be out for a while. She pocketed the keys and let the club fall from her grip. "Let's get out of here."

Elena waited for Rose to leave first. She hurried across the room to get her earlier weapon. Elena slipped the red handled letter opener into her boot before following after Rose. Even if the British born woman had just saved her, it didn't mean Elena put a lot of trust into her. Besides, who knows when a surprise weapon might come in handy.

"Finally!" Stefan exclaimed when he caught sight of Rose and Elena running down the hallway. "What took so long?"

"Complications," Elena said a little breathless. She stood by anxiously as Rose tried to figure out which key belonged to this certain lock.

"How come I'm always the one behind bars?" Stefan muttered, glancing at Elena. She cracked a half smile.

Damon groaned loudly from behind Stefan. Elena moved her eyes from the youngest Salvatore to the oldest. She was about to ask if something was wrong, but didn't get the chance because a loud click echoed through the hall. Rose smiled triumphantly as she pulled open the barred door.

"Freedom at last," Damon said with a smile as he stepped out of his cage. His smile faded a bit as his eyes landed on Elena.

The look in his eyes, reminded Elena of her earlier worries about freeing the brothers. They get out and realize Elena should die for putting them behind bars in the first place.

As Damon took confident steps toward Elena, she took hesitant ones back. Her breath got caught in her throat when Damon's hand reached across the small distance and gripped her upper arm. All her fighting instincts vanished in that moment. She wanted to hit him. She wanted to slap him. She wanted to be away from him. But yet, she couldn't. And she didn't understand why.

Elena flinched when Damon's hand rose upward. A wounded look crossed his face. You'd have thought she'd just punched him in the stomach or something. His hand didn't go for her face though, like she thought it would. Instead he seemed to pick something off of her shoulder. Elena instantly felt bad for thinking the worst of Damon when she saw the spider fall to the ground.

**xxxx**

Rose had thought of everything. A silver SUV was waiting for them outside Tony's. From there, Rose took mostly back roads to avoid getting pulled over for speeding. They all agreed speeding was acceptable this time. The more distance put between them and Tony, the better for all parties.

The foursome rode in silence, watching the world outside and using the radio for background noise. Before long, Damon grew restless. He turned sideways in his passenger seat and stared at Elena until she acknowledged him.

"Would you like me to give you a picture so you wouldn't have to sit so uncomfortably?" Elena questioned, keeping her eyes trained on the cars passing them instead of looking at Damon.

She heard the smile in his voice when he spoke though. "There's something that's been bugging me."

"Gee, I know the feeling." This got laughter from Rose and Stefan. Elena fought to contain a smile when she laid eyes on the sour look Damon gave her. She gave him her full attention. "What?"

"Back at the jail. The officer?" Elena nodded, indicating she was following. "Was that real or fake?"

Elena was tempted to lie. Though she figured if she lied about something as small as this, she wouldn't hesitate to lie about something major. Might as well have relationships based on truth instead of lies.

"Stefan getting arrested was real. The cops tailing us were also real. The officer I took down? A set up."

"I knew it!" Stefan exclaimed. Elena rolled her eyes, knowing this was a lie. She'd seen the look on his face that day. He'd believed every second of her act. Damon and Stefan both had.

Once they were out of state, Rose stopped at the nearest motel. Here, Rose paid for two rooms. At first it was agreed the girls would share one room and the brothers would share the other. But then Stefan objected to that arrangement.

"What if Tony does find us?" He asked. "I don't think the girls are fully prepared to protect themselves." Both Elena and Rose had objections to his statement. Though in the end, it was decided they should co-ed their rooms just in case.

Elena and Stefan in one room, Rose and Damon in the other.

Plenty of daylight was still to be burned before nightfall. Elena tried watching TV, but found she couldn't sit still. She went from pacing the room, to sitting on the bed and back to pacing. There was this feeling of being trapped hanging over her head and she couldn't figure out why.

"You gonna do that all day?" Stefan asked, opening one eye. His back was up against the wall, legs stretched out on his side of the bed and his hands clasped over his stomach. He'd been sitting just like that with his eyes closed for the past half hour. Elena had thought he'd fallen asleep.

She paused in her pacing and shrugged. "Maybe. Is it bothering you?"

"Very much."

Elena sighed. She walked the small distance to the bed and fell back on to it. "In that case, give me something to do."

Stefan was silent at first. Then, he swung his legs off the edge of the bed and stood. Stefan walked to the bottom of the bed, took Elena's hands in his and pulled her to her feet as well. He lead her to the most open part of the room. There, he dropped her hands and took a few steps away.

"Ready?" Stefan asked.

"For what?" A smile pulled on his lips. Then, without warning, his left fist shot out. It would've hit her right cheek, but Elena's hand blocked the strike. She stood there a minute, trying to understand what in the world he was doing. Little time was given for her to ask though, because Stefan was coming at her again.

It didn't take long for Elena to realize Stefan wasn't a threat to her. He wasn't intending to hurt her. Why he was taking swings at her, she couldn't quite understand. Not that it mattered much, he hit like a girl.

While Stefan was focused on blocking Elena's attacks by her hands, he hadn't been thinking about her feet. Once he'd captured both her wrist in his hands, she brought her left foot around the back of his legs. This action caused the two to press so hard against one another, there was little breathing room.

Elena thought nothing of it. Stefan, on the other hand, read a little to much into the motion. He was tempted to kiss her. Though before he could make his move, Elena's foot knocked him off balance.

As Stefan lost his footing and fell to the motel floor, he took Elena down with him. A small flaw in her plan. She ended up laying on top of Stefan's chest, with only her wrist separating the two. Her breath was knocked out of her for a moment. To Elena's surprise, Stefan made no move to try and over power her. Elena took this as a chance to get her wrist free. Which turned out to be a lot easier then she'd expected.

Within just a few seconds of falling to the floor, Elena had Stefan's arms pinned out to his sides.

"Alright, I give!" Stefan announced around a laugh.

Elena smiled triumphantly down at him. "That's what I thought."

She released his hands, only to find herself below his lean body a moment later. His motions had been to quick and thought out for Elena to have seen them coming.

"Cheater."

Stefan laughed again. "Don't ever underestimate your opponent."

**xxxx**

When Elena woke up the next day, Stefan was still sound asleep. She had time to shower and order breakfast before Stefan even hinted at being awake.

"If we don't get a move on," Elena said, watching Stefan move lazily around the room. "Tony's gonna come through that door and shoot us all." Stefan through a pillow at her before disappearing into the the bathroom for a shower.

An hour later, the foursome were piling into the SUV once more. Damon drove this time with Elena in the passenger seat. Rose and Stefan played backseat drivers while looking at a map they'd picked up in the lobby.

"Where are we heading, anyway?" Elena asked as she craned her head around to look at Rose. Rose folded up the map into a square before handing it up to Elena. She took it the highlighted town in Virginia was their destination. "Mystic Falls?" The name pulled on a distance part of Elena's mind.

Rose took the map back. "I figure it's far enough away from Tony. And to small for any mob activity."

Elena nodded. "Sounds good to me."

Damon, of course, disagreed. "I hate small towns."

"Why?"

"There's nothing for him to do," Stefan chimed from the back.

Elena patted Damon on the shoulder. "Well, your welcome to jump out of the car anytime." Damon shot her a sideways glare which she greeted with a smile.

The next five hours were mostly silence, aside from Rose and Stefan giving Damon directions. It wasn't until they passed a sign that read "Welcome to Mystic Falls" that Elena remembered why the name had sounded familiar.

Suddenly, she felt sick. Her hand reached across and gripped the closest thing - which just happened to be Damon's arm. At first he regarded the gesture as a teasing one, like before. But when he glanced over and saw that Elena had gone as white as a ghost, concern burst through his body.

"Damon, stop the car." Elena's voice was hardly a whisper.

Thinking of only her, Damon swerved to the right. He narrowly missed a few oncoming cars. A second later, the SUV was parked half on the road and half in a ditch. Elena wasted no time jumping out of the car.

On instinct, Damon got out as well. He ignored almost being run over and went to Elena's side. She was bent over next to the SUV, as if she were about to be sick. Doing the first thing that came to mind, Damon carefully gather her straight hair and moved it out of her way. Just in case.

"Hey, you alright?" Rose was the next to join Damon and Elena. Stefan followed suit.

Elena didn't answer right away. She had to take several deep breaths, in an attempt to settle her stomach. Once she was sure she wasn't going to be sick, Elena straightened her body out into a upright position.

"I'm sorry," Though Rose had asked the question, Elena's words were directed at Damon. Perhaps it was because he was still holding her hair. Realizing this, Damon dropped the straight brown layers and took a step back. "It's this place..."

"What's wrong with it?" Stefan was the one to question her now.

Elena sighed and met his eyes. "It's where Kathrine was killed." Those words were like a slap in the face to them all.

"We can find another place," Rose suggested a minute later. Damon and Stefan nodded in agreement.

"No, this place is perfect. Mystic Falls is the last place Tony would ever think to look for us."

"Your sure?" Elena nodded, though she really wasn't. She wasn't sure of anything at this point in time. Except for the fact that Mystic Falls might be the safest place for them all. "Well, then, we should probably find us a place to stay."

"I have an Aunt who lives in town. I'm sure she'll let us stay with her."


	10. Chapter 10: Heatwave

Ian and Miranda Gilbert died a few years back. They left their house to their son, Jeremy. Being underage and with both parents dead, Jeremy needed a guardian. Enter John Gilbert, Ian's brother. John wasn't about to let Jeremy be placed in some foster home, so he adopted his nephew. The two of them were last known to be living in another part of Virginia. While Jeremy wasn't able to legally take the house, Jenna Sommer was. Miranda's little sister is currently living on campus though, leaving the Gilbert home empty. Also opening it up to being the perfect place for Damon, Elena, Rose and Stefan to live for the time being.

With only three bedrooms in the two story house, a pair of roommates had to be chosen. With Elena being the closest thing to a family member in the place, she was granted her own room. And because Rose refused to share a room with either of the boys, she got her own room as well. Meaning Damon and Stefan were stuck sharing. Neither openly complained, but both did drop annoyed hints on the arrangement.

After making a trip to the grocery store, they all agreed it was best to lay low for a while - which meant staying in the house. That plan only lasted a total of two days and then three of the four were ready to pull their hair out. Elena was perfectly fine with becoming a shut in. This being obvious to the others with the way she hardly left her room. On their fourth night in town, Rose and Stefan made a trip into town, leaving Elena and Damon alone with themselves.

Elena was flicking through the boring channels of cable when the smell of spaghetti drifted into the room. This was new, normally dinner was ordered pizza. She flicked the TV off and made her way downstairs. Elena followed the small of spaghetti into the kitchen, naturally. Here, she found Damon working away. He was so focused on getting just the right amount of pepper into the sauce, he didn't notice her come in. She took a seat at the table, rested her chin on one hand and just watched him for a minute.

"I didn't know you cooked," Elena commented once he'd set the pepper aside. Damon slid his eyes away from the sauce just long enough to flash her one of his charming smiles.

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Miss. Pierce." A quick grim expression crossed his features. The name tasted funny on his tongue. It had been a long time since he'd used it. And using it in reference to Elena, made it taste twice as bad. Though Elena and Kathrine shared looks to a chilling degree, they had both shown him they weren't a thing alike.

Damon grabbed a wooden spoon from a drawer near by. He scooped up a small portion of the chunky red sauce and brought it to his lips. Elena watched as his face changed as he thought about what else the sauce needed. Elena had yet to see him so relaxed. He looked as if he belonged in the kitchen, with the towel tossed over one shoulder. She had to bite back a smile. Even if he seemed to be mostly focused on the food, Elena knew he'd notice her smiling at him.

"You going to join me for dinner?" Damon asked, as he moved the pot with the baked noodles off it's eye.

Elena shrugged one shoulder. "Maybe. Depends on if the foods any good."

Damon's face was one of false hurt as he whirled around to fully face her. He took in her appearance in with one quick look. She wore a long sleeve dark blue shirt, with a white lace tanktop underneath. Her jeans came to the very end of her converse shoes and fit her nicely while still looking comfortable. Normally down hair, was pulled up into a somewhat messy ponytail. Damon approved of her relaxed attire and found it suiting.

"Why don't you come on over here and taste it for yourself," Damon suggested, motioning her over to the stove. She hesitated before pushing her chair away from the table. When she reached him, Damon dipped the spoon back into the silver pot of sauce once more.

As Elena leaned towards the spoon hovering over the pot, Damon became very aware of just how close they were. He took note of her shifting feet and guessed she noticed as well. Elena took her taste and pulled back quickly. She licked her lips and still managed to miss a spot. Damon stopped himself from telling her of the red spot just on the corner of her mouth.

"Well?" He prompted, plopping the wooden spoon back into the sea of redness. "What does the lovely judge rule?"

Elena put one hand on the counter and pushed all her weight on to it. Her left hand was then brought up to her chin, her face tilted up, as if thinking. Damon waited patiently, fighting back a smile at how cute she looked.

"She says you'll just have to wait until dinner is served to know what she thought," Elena finally answered. Damon looked at her from the corner of his eye as he moved the sauce off of it's place on the stove.

"So, you will be joining me for dinner, then."

Elena sighed dramatically. "I can't let you dine alone, now can I?"

"Suppose not."

Elena's eyes flickered to Damon's for a fragment of a second. His blue eyes swam with emotions much too similar to her own. Tension settled in the room and it seemed to turn the temperature up along with it. She swallowed hard and licked her lips before offering a weak smile. As a heated feeling covered her skin, she wondered when it'd gotten so hot.

"Thirsty?" Elena asked softly, just to fill the silence. As she turned away, into the direction of the fridge, Damon caught her hand. Well, more or less placed his over the one she still had placed on the counter. When she turned her body back to him, she was surprised to find there wasn't as much space as she had thought, separating them. Her heart rate spiked at his closeness.

Damon snapped the towel off his shoulder. The sauce was still in the left corner of her mouth. He brought the small green hand towel up, and gently wiped away the slight imperfection on the girl. As he moved his hand back, he caught sight of her eyes. They were watching his every move.

Hand now lingering in the air, Damon acted on an impulse. The towel slipped away from his fingers and he brought his hand closer, to cup the space right behind her ear. His thumb rubbed her cheek ever so gently. Damon pulled Elena's face so close to his, their noses grazed. Hearts pounding and skin tingling as their eyes met. There was a breath of a paused. Next moment, Damon and Elena found themselves liplocked.

Feelings overflowed that both had been fighting all along. It was like an unstoppable force radiating within them both, pulling each other deeper into the others arms. Elena thought her heart was going to pound clear out of her chest. Damon believed his lungs would go before his heart gave out. Neither really thought about what they were doing. It was a moment of acting now and thinking later. A later Elena nor Damon wanted to arrive.

The gentle melody of a ringing phone shattered Damon and Elena's little world. They both seemed to snap out of their heatwave at the same time. The second Damon's lips pulled away from Elena's, she felt as if they'd turned into a block of ice. All the earlier heat of the moment vanished into thin air and left behind nothing but a couple of blushing cheeks.

"I should get that," Elena breathed before shooting off to answer her phone. Damon nodded, his eyes a little glazed over as if he wasn't completely with her at the moment.

Elena took the stairs two at a time and her hurry had nothing to do with her awaiting cell. She made it to the phone, just as the ringing stopped. A second later, a voicemail message popped up. Taking deep breaths and breathing out through her nose in hopes of slowing her heart, Elena listened to the voicemail.

_"You got away from me, Elena."_ An all to familiar voice sounded from the phone. Elena stopped breathing all together as she listened to the rest of the message. _"You won't next time."_ And then there was the sound of a deep humorless laugh before the click of the phone hanging up. Elena sat there on the end of her bed, the phone still to her ear, well after the message had ended.

"Elena?" Her attention snapped back at Damon's voice. She blinked and found Damon staring at her from the doorway. His face was a mask of concern. "You alright?"

She nodded. "Peachy." Elena got off the bed and approached him. "Let's eat." 


	11. Chapter 11: Supernatural

Damon watched Elena curiously all through dinner. They ate in mostly awkward silence. Elena kept telling herself the kiss meant nothing, it was just a heat of the moment thing. Knowing all along she was lying to herself. That kiss meant a lot to the both of them.

"Is something wrong?" Damon finally asked.

Elena shook her head. "Why would anything be wrong?" _It's not like we should be fearful for our lives or anything._ She added silently.

She picked up both their plates, scrapped what was left of their dinner into the trash and then placed the dishes in the sink. Elena wasted no time preparing the dishes for the dishwasher. With only their dinner plates and a few other items from breakfast this morning, it was a bit to soon to start putting things in the dishwasher. Damon suspected she was cleaning mostly for the purpose of avoiding him. He didn't know if it was because of the kiss or because of something else.

He moved away from the table and over to the sink. Damon bent and opened the dishwasher before straightening up and leaning against the counter. Elena turned, plate in hand, and glanced curiously at him. He slipped the plate from her hand, and put it down into the top rack. When she continued to stare, he simply shrugged one shoulder, not willing to admit he was working on questioning her about the kiss.

"It shouldn't have happened," Elena said, as she closed the dishwasher five minutes later. Damon raised his brows in question. Again, to avoid him, Elena busied herself with putting away the place mates. "The kiss. It shouldn't have happened."

Damon felt a slight ping of hurt but ignored it. He walked over to where she stood at the table and took the place mates from her. Damon dropped them carelessly on to the table. Before Elena could move away again, Damon stepped in front of her, leaving Elena stuck between Damon and the table.

"Give me one good reason why it shouldn't have happened."

Elena set her face and met his eyes. "Kathrine." One word held so much power and meaning to so many. Granted, her name meant many different things to many different people. Kathrine had effected many lives in her love games and it was evidently the thing that got her killed.

Damon shook his head. "Old news." The hurt expression that crossed Elena's face was what alerted Damon to how much of a mistake his words were.

"It's so good to finally hear how much cared about her," Elena throw out both angrily and sarcastically. She brought her hands up and shoved Damon out of her way.

She ignored his words, making her way to the staircase. Elena nearly ran right into Stefan as he and Rose returned home. She pushed her way past them and up the stairs, ending with the ever famous door slam.

Stefan and Rose both turned to Damon now. Their expression first ones of confusion. Until they caught sight of Damon throwing his hands up in the air, before they fell back to hit his sides noisily. Now Rose and Stefan wore an expression of blame.

"What'd you do?" They asked in union.

Damon slid his blue eyes over and glowered a silent reply.

**xxxxx**

Elena's worse nightmare wasn't Tony Kyle. Who scared her the most was who was above Tony. She'd kept a bit of information to herself, unwilling to share it with the others just yet. Though it came off as Tony was the one wanting the Salvatore's dead, it wasn't. It was someone in higher ranks then Mr. Kyle. He was someone much, _much_ worse then any of them could imagine.

Tony Kyle's boss truly opened Elena's eyes to a world she had never suspected existed. The world of Supernatural creatures. Monsters was a proper word, if Elena was asked. Fur, fangs and magic weren't as much of a fairy tale as she'd have hoped. No, much to Elena's horror, Vampires were very much real. And some of them, such as Mr. Kyle's boss, was a man who always got what he wanted.

What got under Elena's skin the most, was that the blame could be placed on Kathrine's shoulders. She'd been the one to play with fire and now everyone else was getting burned. But what was Elena to do? Lay down her life at the foot of a bloodsucker because Kathy had double crossed him? She'd do that just as soon as hell froze over.

Elena's eyes moved from the ceiling to the window. Through the thin curtains, the bright moon could be seen shining over head. A full moon. She flinched at the thought of what one of her friends must be going through. One of the founding families, the Lockwood's, had a curse placed upon them. If they were to killed someone, they were plagued into a life she wouldn't upon anyone. Though, Werewolves weren't common creatures and the least of Elena's worries.

Witches, on the other hand, could prove to be a great deal of trouble. Take young Bonnie Bennett for instance. She'd only just found out her Grams hadn't been off her rocker when she told Bonnie they were Witches. Elena, being Bonnie's best friend once upon a time, had told Elena not long after she found out the truth herself. In that time, Elena had learned that Witches weren't the only Supernatural creatures of the world.

Bonnie and Elena's friendship came to a stand still when Kathy died. Elena had begged Bonnie to bring her back, no matter the cost. Bonnie had said it wasn't possible. It couldn't be done. Soon after, Elena left town. She then fell into bad ranks with Tony Kyle and it's been down hill ever since.

Until the Salvatore's showed up. They offered Elena a way out of a life she didn't want anymore. She'd been positive Tony could help her get justice on those who'd killed Kathy, but of course that was a lie on Tony's part. And some how or another, Elena had ended up back at square one. Back in Mystic Falls.

The others believed Elena was okay with being stuck in the house, when in reality she hated it. She wanted nothing more then to leave and go play a game of pool down at the Mystic Grill. But, she couldn't. Not in this town. Kathrine and Elena were far to well known here for Elena to be able to go farther then the mailbox. Elena knew, even staying in the house, it was only a matter of time until someone caught wind that she was back in town. Word spreads fast in a small town. And it wouldn't take long for Isobel to show up on the doorstep again.

Isobel Flemming, Elena and Kathrine's birth mother. She was a Vampire too, much to Elena's dismay. As a Human, she'd given her daughters up for adoption only a short time after Elena was born. Most believed the sisters to be twins, but Kathy was a year older then Elena. Their striking resemblance surprised and shocked even themselves at times. But, as the years passed, Kathrine and Elena grew use to looking alike and on occasion, passing themselves off as twins.

When Ian and Miranda, Kathrine and Elena's adoptive parents, died - something else Elena hadn't shared with Damon, Stefan and Rose - Kathy's games took a hard turn for the worst. She throw herself into the Vampire world and started playing bloodsuckers against each other. Damon, Stefan and Tony were her few Human toys.

The only time Elena ever tried to stop Kathy from playing brothers against each other was when Kathrine met Elijah and Klaus. Each very old and very powerful Vampires. Elena told her sister it was a bad idea, only to have Kathrine wave her words off. Feeling jaded by Kathrine, and unable to get revenge on her because of her death, Elijah and Klaus turned their attention to Elena.

Elena got involved with Tony Kyle for two reasons: 1) In hopes of getting justice for her sister and 2) To protect herself. Elena knew as long as she seemed to be in good graces with a mobster, Klaus and Elijah couldn't kill her freely. And again, that was changed by Damon and Stefan.

Now, Elena felt she was up a creek with no paddle.

She reached over to the nightstand, and picked up her phone. Elena replayed the message for another time. By now, the message and voice was burned into her mind. And yet, she kept replaying it. Her heart sank lower in her chest every time his voice touched her ears.

As the phone snapped shut, Elena wished the message had been left by Tony Kyle. He wouldn't send so much fear shooting through her body. But it wasn't. The sinister voice belonged to the last person Elena _ever_ wanted it too.

With a heavy sigh, Elena placed the phone back on the stand, pulled the covers tight around her shoulders and tried to quiet her mind. In the distance, she heard the howl of a wolf. Her friend of many years.

"Goodnight, Tyler," Elena whispered before slipping off into a fitful slumber.

**a.n.: Please remember, I'm making this up as I go along and I'm not a professional, so if something doesn't add up please tell me so I fix it. Thanks :) **

**And remember, reviews are a girls best friend! :P**


	12. Chapter 12: Caroline

Elena sat on the bed she'd claimed as her own and stared at her cell phone balancing on her knee. She kept expecting it to ring, but no sound came from the device. She'd played the message over and over again as if at some point the words would change.

A sharp knock on the bedroom door caused her to jump. The cell fell off her knee and on to the bed as Damon poked his head into the room. "Can we talk?"

Elena motioned for him to come on in. Damon left the door ajar and took a seat on the end of the bed. Elena waited for him to say something more, but no words came from him.

"Well?" She pushed. "Silence doesn't equal talking."

Damon hesitated a moment more before saying, "About last night - " God, that was one of the worst ways to start off a sentence.

Elena held up a hand to cut him off. "There is no 'about last night', Damon. We got everything settled."

"No, we didn't."

"Sure we did. We have some form of feelings for one another and we can never act on them because of my sister. See? All clear."

Damon gave her a pointed look. "There's no reason we can't act on our feelings. Kathrine's gone, out of the picture."

Elena raised her brows. She leaned forward and met his eyes. "So, your telling me that if Kathy walked through that front door right now you wouldn't care. You would still want us to try and have a relationship?"

There was a paused. And truthfully, that was all the answer Elena needed. If Damon honestly had to think about his answer, then he wasn't completely sure of his words. He opened his mouth, closed it again. Elena waited, curious as to what the answer was going to be even if she had already made up her mind about her reply. Kathy was still very much apart of Damon's heart - probably Stefan's as well - and until Damon was over her, Elena wouldn't even attempt to pressue the dark haired man.

His mouth opened again just as the doorbell rang. Elena sighed and leaned back against the headboard. "You should probably get that."

Damon shrugged with one shoulder. "Rose'll get it," He said in a matter-of-face tone.

"I heard that," Rose called from somewhere in the hall. "I'm not your maid."

He paused, tilted his head like listening for something and then smiled. "She might not be the maid, but she did get the door," Damon whispered.

Elena rolled her eyes. An awkward silence was just about to settle over them when Rose popped into the doorway. "You've got a visitor." Her voice sounded as confused as Elena felt. She hadn't left the house since they got here, how could anyone know she was here?

Damon and Rose followed behind Elena like they didn't have anything better to do. Rose had told Elena's guest to wait in the living room so that's where they headed. Her feet stopped an inch into the room and Elena's heart skipped a beat. The person had their back to the three of them, but that was all she needed to see. The wavy blond hair that touched shoulders, the tall and slender figure told Elena who had come to see her.

As if on cue, Caroline turned around. A smile that matched that of a kid on Christmas morning spread across her face. She was across the room and hugging Elena with excited chatter rambling into the air, before Elena could even get a word out. She awkwardly returned Caroline's hug, questions buzzing through her mind.

"Why didn't you tell me you were in town?" Caroline demanded, stepping back and taking Elena in. Her eyes flashed from her friend to Damon and Rose. Elena made note to warn Caroline off Damon, having seen the flirt already forming on the blond girls lips. "And you are...?"

"This - this is, uh, Damon and Rose," Elena stammered. "What are you doing here?"

Caroline looked a little taken back by Elena's question. "Oh. Um, I came to see my friend." Caroline's sentence ended a little unsure. Which was understandable. The last time Elena had seen Caroline, it was at Kathy's funeral. To say the funeral was the event of the year would be an understatement. "We are still friends, Elena. Even if you don't call or visit or write..." Her voice trailed off a little.

"That wasn't hint enough?" Damon muttered in a harsh tone.

The blond girl glared at him then. "Who are you again?" She snapped, all flirting gone from her mind. "Maybe I should come back later. When we can talk. _Alone_." Caroline gave a very pointed look at Damon.

Elena shook her head. "No, no. Now is good." She turned and glanced between Rose and Damon. "Don't you two have something else you could be doing?"

Almost reluctantly, the pair headed off into the kitchen. Elena waited for them to disappeared behind the corner before turning back to Caroline who looked a lot more relaxed again. Caroline sat down on the couch, Elena took a seat in the armchair.

"I can't believe I had to hear you were back," Caroline told Elena in a unapproving voice. "I thought for sure you'd gotten over what happened at the funeral."

"I doubt anyone else has."

Caroline's blue eyes rolled skyward. "Hardly anyone remembers." Elena gave her friend a look that clearly said she believed this to be a lie. "Really! It's old news, Elena."

"My sisters body disappeared from her coffin. I might as well have run around town screaming _vampire _like a chicken with my head cut off. Then, of course, we can't forget about my own disappearing act. Something tells me a small town like this isn't going to forget that so quickly." She wasn't even going to mention the crud things she'd called Bonnie and Tyler. Even Matt, though he wasn't supernatural, wasn't safe from Elena's breakdown.

"Okay, so no ones completely forgot." Caroline continued on quickly before Elena could say I told you so. "But no one blames you either! You had just lost your sister, a meltdown is understandable. Expected even."

Elena had been lucky the real vampires in the area hadn't hunted her down and killed her for knowing too much. Tyler and Bonnie were in the same boat, for their own safety they no doubt thought it was best to kill Elena. It wasn't as if she had meant to lose it and want harm to come to all creatures supernatural. Kathy, Elena was sure, had been killed by the very vampires she dug her claws into. They might not have pulled the trigger, but they had arranged it. There was no hard proof though, so Elena had trouble believing this theory herself after awhile.

Isobel Flemming had paid Elena a visit though. The older woman had warned Elena to watch her step or she might find herself six feet under. Some motherly advice, huh? Isobel had never been the warm and fuzzy mother type, Elena suspected. That didn't stop the other woman from dropping by the Gilbert's front steps one day and turning both Kathy and Elena's worlds upside down. Add in the fact that their real mother was a vampire and their father was dead set on killing those with fangs - and you had a fixture set to blow up in everyone's faces.

Caroline's earlier words dawned on Elena. She titled her head to the side and asked, "Who told you I was in town?"

The other girl suddenly looked uncomfortable. She shifted on the couch and looked anywhere but Elena's questioning eyes. "Just a rumor going around."

"That lie's as see through as air, Caroline." Elena leaned forward and stared hard at her friend. "Who told you?"

Caroline bit her lip and finally looked up at Elena. As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Caroline perked up instantly. The girls turned their heads as Damon walked by - not passing up the chance to peak into the living room and offer a silly wave as he did - and answered the door. There was a murmur of exchanged words before the click of the front door closing again.

"Your very popular today," Damon informed Elena as he made his way into the room. Caroline shifted into not so friendly mood at the drop of a hat. The dark haired man seemed to pick up on this and flashed the blond a snark smile which Caroline answered with a glare. Those two really hadn't gotten off to a good start. "I had to fork out a tip, by the way. So you owe me." He handed her a box about medium sized.

Elena took the box with cation. She torn away the brown paper it was wrapped in before ripping into the poorly taped box. Inside she found another box, this one much smaller then the first and made of smooth black material. Elena tugged the top of the second box and laid eyes on something she thought she wouldn't see again.

Caroline, having leaned closer in curiousness, gasped. "It's your necklace!" She exclaimed like this was the greatest discovery known to man. "Wait. Didn't you - "

Elena nodded numbly. "Yeah." Her voice was breathless as was her lungs.

All eyes were fixed on the necklace. Silver with a circular locket dangling off the end, the necklace had been a gift from Miranda and Ian. The day of Kathy's funeral, Elena had placed it into the coffin - just before her body vanished. Caroline had been there and watched Elena slip the necklace off and place it with her sister. The only way this was the same one... that would mean...

Elena closed the black box back and shoved it into Damon's hands. "Get rid of it," She said in a low voice. Her mind was reeling. How? Why? Who? It made no sense how the necklace had been returned to her.

Damon glanced between Caroline and Elena. "You don't - "

"Just get rid of it!" Elena shouted, jumping to her feet.

"Okay, okay." Damon held up his hands and backed away in a slower manner. "I'll get rid of it as the lady wishes."

Elena ran shaking hands through her hair. As Damon left the room, Caroline stood. She tried to offer comfort to an Elena that just pushed her away. Sensing it was time to go, Caroline rattled off some made up excuse and a goodbye before hurriedly making her way out of the house. Elena fell back down into the armchair, her eyes fixed on the floor but she wasn't really seeing it. Instead, her mind was back at the funeral.

_The black dress usually fit fine but felt too tight today. The sun was bright and cheery in the sky, but Elena held out hope that it would rain. Today wasn't a day for sunshine, but one for gray depressing rain. Her straight hair was styled in a side ponytail draping over her right shoulder. She hadn't bothered with make-up so her face looked terrible. Red outlined her puffy eyes, nose a bright red and too pale skin from being in doors the last few days._

_A knock came from the other side of her bedroom door before Bonnie's head popped into the room. She smiled. Elena didn't return the nice action. Instead, she gave her best friend a bitter glare._

_"This is your fault." Elena's voice was flat and raw with emotion._

_A look of both confusion and hurt flashed across the mocha skinned girl. "What?"_

_"Kathrine's dead. Because of you."_

_Bonnie opened the bedroom door a bit wider and stepped into the room. She approached Elena and placed comforting hands on her shoulders. "Your confused. I understand that. But I didn't - "_

_"Yes you did!" Elena shrugged her hands off. "Your no better then the vampires, Bonnie. Your just like them! Heartless murders!" She'd darted out of the room before Bonnie could defend herself._

_Elena didn't see Bonnie again until sometime during the funeral. The other girl didn't sit beside her friend as she usually would have due to the scene in the bedroom. Jeremy flocked Elena's left, Caroline on the right. John and Isobel, she figured, were somewhere in the church as well. They wouldn't miss their own daughters funeral._

_Elena turned her head to the left and peered down the pew across from her. A man with brown hair sat at the end of the pew, looking out of place among the familiar faces. Something struck her as off about the man. Through the service Elena stared at him. She listened not a word to the things people went up and said about her sister. When it came time to walk by Kathy's coffined body to say one last goodbye, it took a lot of coxing to get Elena out of her seat and up front._

_Once there, Elena felt an overwelming sense of sadness and danger. Her eyes fixed on Kathy's closed ones. Whoever had done her make-up had put the wrong colors on the girl so she didn't look like herself. Kathrine had even been dressed in a ivy colored dress that she wouldn't have chosen for herself. Elena felt guilty. Her sister was going to be buried in the wrong make-up and the wrong clothes, all because Elena couldn't pull herself together enough to tell anyone what she should look like._

_Reaching behind her neck with shaking fingers Elena unclasped the almost ever present necklace. She then put the necklace around Kathy's neck. At least now she would be buried in something she actually liked._

_A loud chatter rose up behind Elena. She turned away from her sisters decaying body and her eyes were drawn over to the right front pew. The brown haired stranger still sat there, but a smile played on his lips. He caught Elena's eye and the smile spread over his lips. She'd just managed to glimpse the fangs he sported before the lights went out in the church._

_There were a collection of screams. None of them came from Elena though. There was the soft sound of rushing air, Elena felt something brush against her arm and then the lights flashed back on. The sudden brightness filling the church made Elena's eyes hurt. She swung away from the lights and the crowd._

_"Kathy!" She screamed a second later when she discovered the coffin empty._

Elena snapped back into the present as sharply as a rubber band breaks. The memory was all too fresh and vivid as if it had just happened yesterday. Getting the sense she was being watched, she spun around in the chair. On the wall behind her hung the family photo taken just before Ian and Miranda's death. The stares of her dead family felt more like glares.

Suddenly the living room was much too small. There were too many memories swirling around in the place Elena had once called home. She sprang to her feet and sprinted out the front door. Giving no thought to where she would go, she just walked. Walked down the sidewalk, past Matt's house and into town. It wasn't a long distance, but wasn't the shortest either. Elena didn't know where her feet were taking her until she was stepping inside.

Excited chatter, a good bit of dancing and too many people packed the Grill. It didn't take long to figure out why when the sounds of a band playing touched her ears. Familiar and unfamiliar faces alike surrounded her. She weaved her way through the crowd and found herself in luck when she found an empty table. Ordering anything wasn't possible, seeing as she'd left her money back at the house. Not that she was all that hungry.

She tried to focus more on the chatter of those around her, the sounds thrilling from the on stage band and less on the confused buzzing inside her head. Elena took slow breaths and worked to get herself under control. It would prove bad if she lost her cool now. Normally this wasn't a problem. In a crisis, Elena was known to keep her head. But this wasn't a crisis and keeping her cool wasn't looking to be working out in her favor right now. Nothing wanted to add up or piece together. Her mind felt like one of those hundred piece puzzles most people gave up on trying to do because they got bored or it proved to be too hard. Unfortunately, Elena couldn't give up on piecing her mind together.

What happened to Kathy's body? Who killed her in the first place? Who was that brown haired man at the funeral? And why did the answer to all of these questions feel like it was glaring her dead in the face?


	13. Chapter 13: Love, Not Loved

Damon sat at the kitchen table, staring at the mysterious black box that had freaked Elena out. The girls hadn't said much about the necklace inside, but something about it obviously wasn't something that set well with Elena.

He stared so intently at the box Rose asked at one point if he thought it held the answer to life. He'd rattled off a halfhearted sarcastic remark. Soon she'd taken the hint and left him to having a staring contest with the questionable box.

The horrified look on Elena's face kept flashing into his mind. Whatever meaning this necklace held it had the younger girl scared something awful. But how could an object as a harmless as a necklace inflict so much fear?

Stefan came downstairs and Damon barely took notice. His younger brother took a seat at the table opposite him, rested his chin on one hand, and stared at the box as well. If this action hadn't been so annoying, Damon wouldn't have taken any notice in his brother.

Damon sighed and moved his gaze to Stefan. "What are you doing?"

Stefan shrugged. "Same thing your doing. Staring a little black box." When he said it like that, it sounded like the most stupid thing to do in the world. Stefan's face grew confused and he looked at Damon now. "Why are we looking at a box?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "_We_ aren't doing anything. _Your_" - pointed a finger at Stefan - "going to go in the other room and leave _me_" - he turned the finger on himself - "alone."

"Leave you alone. To stare at a box," Stefan deadpanned. There was a paused then Stefan leaned forward. "Should I be questioning your sanity?"

Damon snatched the box up as he stood and stuffed it into his jeans pocket. "This is why I never do anything with you," He muttered as he stalked out of the kitchen. Stefan's laughter floated after him though the younger boy didn't follow.

Good, Damon was never going to get anywhere with figuring out what the necklace meant with him hovering.

Feeling the need for some fresh air, Damon went outside. He sat down on the porch swing and tugged the small box out of his pocket. He deiced it wouldn't hurt to take a look at the necklace. The top slipped right off and Damon got his first good look at the it. Seeing it tugged on a part of his memory he rather forget. But with the memory being of Kathrine that was a difficult task.

He never could ignore her.

_Kathrine padded barefoot into the kitchen wearing only her lace black panties and Damon's button down shirt. Her curling mess of deep brown hair fell over her shoulders and down her back. Damon poured himself another cup of coffee as he watched her walk around the kitchen. She stole a few pieces of bacon off his plate that sat on the kitchen table, before hopping up on to the island. She leaned back on one arm, titled her head so that her hair showered over to the right, and gave him a smile._

_Sunlight caught and bounced off something around her neck. Damon stared at the silver locket dangling just past her collarbone. She caught him staring and fingered the piece of jewelry._

_"Like it?" Kathrine asked. The bacon was gone and she was now biting into a fresh strawberry. The smell of the fruit floated around the kitchen and mingled with the bacon and eggs scent that was now fading. "It's my - " Her words halted._

_Damon raised his brows. "Your what?"_

_"My present. From my parents." Damon could tell it was a lie she'd put together just then. It didn't strike him as peculiar though and he brushed the strangeness of it off._

Damon realized now what she was going to say. Kathrine almost slipped and told him about Elena. He wondered if there ever had been a time when Kathrine had let her little secret of having a twin sister slip out and he'd just never paid the words any mind.

If Kathrine hadn't kept Elena a secret, he and Stefan might not be in the situation they were in now. They would have wised up and left someone else to do Tony's dirty work when seeing Elena through that window. Why hadn't he noticed it before? Damon could have kicked himself when he accepted that Kathrine and Elena were sisters. They looked identical, why hadn't this dawned on him before?

Sure, him and Stefan both had realized just how much Elena looked like Kathrine. But they'd written it off as nothing. Maybe if they hadn't, Tony wouldn't be looking for them. No, that was wrong. It hadn't been Elena Tony wanted all along, it was them - Damon and Stefan. Tony had used kidnapping Elena as a ploy and the Salvatore's had played right into his hands.

But why did Tony want them dead anyways? Million dollar question right there.

Someone joining him on the porch swing snapped Damon out of his own head. He found Elena had taken up sitting on the other end of the swing. Her legs were drawn up under her and her eyes fixed on the necklace. A little too late, Damon hastily put the top back on and hid the necklace away.

"Where'd you go?"

"The Grill."

A thick layer of silence fell over them. It wasn't nearly as awkward as it would have been a few hours ago when they'd sat in her room, but it was close. There was so much going unsaid between them. Saying there was an elephant in the room would be the understatement of the year.

"If I asked you something," Damon began. "would you answer with the truth?"

"Truth requires trust. Trust breads trust, you have to give it to get it." Damon wasn't sure if that was a yes or no.

"Are you lecturing me?"

She turned her face to him. "Do you _need_ to be lectured?" There was a hint of teasing in her voice. This put him at ease.

"How many others?" Elena stared at him in pure confusion. Damon couldn't stand looking her in the eye when he explained, so he looked away. "How many other guys did Kathrine play her games with?"

"Oh." Elena's voice held no more teasing and tension filled the space between them. "I'm not sure. A few."

"Lie."

Elena sighed. "Fine. Other than you and Stefan?" She ticked them off on her fingers now. "There was Klaus and his brother Elijah." The names sounded familiar, but didn't ring any bells in Damon's mind. "Tony, Slater and Noah. Those are the only ones I know of." He believed her this time.

Had so many guys been blinded by Kathrine, that they didn't catch on to her games? He wondered if she'd been with any of the others while with him. Had she been with Stefan and himself at the same time?

She'd managed to turn the Salvatore's against each other at one time. If it hadn't been for her disappearing act, Damon and Stefan might not have a relationship now at all. It had taken time and work, but they'd managed to stick with each other despite Kathrine's efforts to have them at odds.

"What was the point of it all?" Damon mused aloud without meaning too. "What did she gain?"

"Kathy liked to hurt people, Damon. It's what she did. She'd get bored and use men as her playthings." Elena's words just made it all the more worse. He knew she was trying to help, but he really wished she'd just shut up. No such luck. "She gained attention. Kathrine always had to be the center of attention."

"What are you saying?" He asked, turning to face her again. "That none of it was real?"

Elena shook her head with a sad expression. "I don't think any of it was real for her. She made you fall for her, not ever allowing herself to fall for you."

Damon was hurt by this. He'd never really considered that Kathrine had just been using him. He'd thought the affection she showed him was real and true - even if she was with other men. People cheat on each other all the time. How was this much different? Kathrine had made a mistake. She'd loved Damon as he loved her - only his love hadn't been good enough and she'd strayed to other men.

"You don't know what your talking about."

Elena's expression changed to one of pity. She placed a supporting hand on his arm. "I'm sorry, but I knew Kathrine. None of it meant anything to her."

"I love her, Elena!" His voice went up a few degrees.

Her hand drew back on it's own. She stared at him a bit bewildered. "Loved," Elena corrected. "You loved her. Past tense."

Damon shook his head and admitted the bitter truth. "No. I _love_ her."

Elena's jaw set then. She nodded, as if she understood. Damon wondered how she could ever understand. She hadn't lost Kathrine in the same way he had. She could never understand that.

"That answers that," She snapped and unfolded herself off the swing. Damon caught her hand, feeling somewhat responsible for her foul mood. Elena jerked her hand out of his hold and her brown eyes glared at him. "Next time you want to try and have a relationship with someone, make sure your not still in love with her dead sister."

Elena stamped off into the house. Damon didn't try to stop her that time.

**a.n.: Review Please! :)**

_**DISOWNERSHIP: I don't own a couple lines of the dialouge used between Elena and Damon.**_


	14. Chapter 14: A History Teacher and A Fair

Alaric Saltzman was probably the only person in Mystic Falls that Elena could talk to. He, much like herself, had been thrown into the Paranormal world without realizing it at first. Alaric had been involved with the pre-vampire Isobel. If anyone understood what it was like for Elena, it was Alaric.

Which was the soul reason why Elena was standing outside his apartment bright and early the morning after having been sent the necklace.

Elena raised her fist to knock, then put it back down. Even if Alaric would understand, she wasn't quite sure about dragging him into her mess. For all she knew her ex-history teacher could have escaped all things vampire. And was now living a happy and normal life with happy and normal people surrounding him. Then again, that wasn't something you could really find in Mystic Falls. If your looking for remotely happy and normal, this wasn't the town for it.

Finally, she just said screw it and knocked.

A messy haired, sleepy eyed, shirtless Alaric opened the door. His eyes were half-shut and he rubbed at one like a small child waking up from a nap. Elena smiled. Alaric was a sight for sore eyes, half asleep or not.

"Did I wake you?" Elena asked, with a lack of anything better to say.

Alaric's head snapped forward, eyes springing open. For a long minute, he just stared at Elena. And then he began to laugh with what Elena thought seemed like relief.

"Didn't think I'd be seeing you again," He said as they shared a quick hug.

"Didn't think I'd be back again."

Elena stepped inside the well kept apartment once Alaric moved out of the way. A map tacked up on the wall a few feet away caught her eye. From here it looked as if Alaric had been keeping track of deaths across the US. with Sticky notes with quick messages scattered around the map. But it wasn't until she saw a stake in progress laid on the coffee table that Elena relaxed.

She almost smiled. He hadn't changed.

Ric made his way into the bedroom for a t-shirt. "So, what brings you home?"

Home. Elena wasn't so sure that was a proper word for Mystic Falls. Then again, there had once been a time both her and Kathrine thought of the small town as home and hadn't dreamed of leaving. That had also been a different time. A time were Unicorns were thought to be real - right up there with Santa and the Easter bunny - people didn't sprout fangs - only gray hair - and cartoons were their night life.

Elena picked up what was made of the stake, turning it over a couple times in her hands. Despite her issue with Vampires, Elena had never killed one. She'd never given much thought to learning to defend herself against them. For the longest time, Kathy had made them out to be seemingly harmless creatures. Elena hadn't much believed her sister at the time. And knew now, without a doubt, it had been a lie.

"I'm here by mistake."

Elena heard what could have been a laugh. "There are no mistakes in Mystic Falls." Ric reappeared, tugging a gray t-shirt over his head. "This town is like a magnet, pulling anything terrible it's way and keeping the rest of us grounded here against our will."

She gave him a questionable look. "Are you saying you've tried to leave?"

He nodded. "A couple times. Never made it out of the state though."

"Why not?"

"Something would happen and I'd have no other choice but to come back. Whether it was Werewolves, Caroline or Vampires - something always brought me back."

Elena put the stake down again. "Caroline?" She mused, curious.

Ric groaned, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "Ever since she found out the truth she's been paranoid. She thought everyone was a Vampire looking to murder her. I was sure glad when - " Ric came up short as if realizing what he was saying. He hurried to cover up. " - when her and Tyler started dating. Now she's not calling me all the time."

Elena knew that wasn't what he was going to say, but let it go. She had questions and problems bigger then Caroline right now. Elena pulled the little black box out before tossing the bag on to the couch. She closed the little distance between the kitchen and living room. Elena didn't say anything as Ric took the box with a puzzled look.

The vampire slaying history teacher pulled off the top of the box. His head snapped up. Elena nodded, answering the silent question. Alaric's gaze fell back on the necklace. It was clear Alaric wouldn't be of much help as Elena had hoped. He looked as taken back as she was upon finding the necklace that should be with a very dead Kathrine tucked away in this box.

Elena jumped into tell Alaric about Damon saying someone had sent it to the house. "Did you tell anyone you were coming into town?"

Elena shook her head. "No one. I didn't even know until we were already here."

"You said Caroline was there when it came. How did she know you were back?"

"She wouldn't say." Alaric took the necklace out of it's box. He stared it and turned it over in his hands, studying. Just as Elena had done the stake of his. "You don't think Caroline had anything to with having it sent to me, do you?"

Surprisingly, he nodded. "It's likely. She's become very involved with the vampire's lately." Elena thought there was some sort of double meaning in his words, but wrote it off as nothing.

Ric took a sip of his coffee and frowned. He placed the necklace down before reaching into a cabinet and pulling out a bottle of vodka. Elena said nothing as the older man mixed the alcohol with his coffee.

The next two hours were spent discussing most of what had happened in Mystic Falls since Elena left. Elena was pretty tight lipped on what she'd been up to since leaving. Ric dropped hints, looking for clues that might answer his unasked questions, but didn't push the topic much. Either way, if she told him everything or left him in the dark, Elena felt they weren't going to get any closer to discovering who sent the necklace.

xxx

Caroline called Elena two days later raving about the carnival later that night. She wouldn't shut up until Elena agreed to come. Caroline's argument was that Elena needed to get out of the house and reconnect with her friends and have a stress free night of fun. Fun was like a distant memory and it was what made Elena decide she should go.

This wasn't her first Mystic Falls carnival, so she knew what to expect. Most of the town would turn out to join in the festivities. She was bound to run into her once ago friends and decided she didn't want to face them alone. So, after some well thought out arguments, she talked Rose and Stefan into tagging along. Damon and Elena weren't on speaking terms, so she didn't care if he stayed or went.

When the time came to leave and all four of them were walking towards the car, Elena made sure she was driving and had Rose beside her. Leaving Damon behind her and unable to catch her eye. She knew what she'd see if she met those blue eyes of his. Guilt and regret. Which suited Elena just fine.

Best to get the truth out in the open other than base a relationship off lies. Now there would be no Damon and Elena and this was perfectly okay with her. At least, that's what she kept telling herself. And maybe, just maybe, one day she'd believe it.

She hoped that day came soon.

The carnival was in full swing by the time they arrived. The four of them climbed out of the quiet car to be slapped in the face by full blown sound. Having grown use to the quiet sounds of her house, Elena's ears took the noise of carnival harshly.

The noise was something she could deal with. The stares and excited whispers that seemed to fly whenever someone laid eyes on her? That was uncomfortable. After spending the past week in hiding and trying to keep a low profile this new found attention didn't set well with her. Elena was about ready to tell the other to go ahead, that she'd wait safely tucked away in the car, until Caroline showed up.

The blonde girl flocked beside Elena, chattering on about the work she put into the fair. She did a better job of ignoring the pairs of eyes and hushed conversations then Elena. But soon the whole point of the night set in and Elena allowed herself to enjoy her time. Caroline and Elena rode the Ferris Wheel and then the Swings. They ran from ride to ride as if they were kids again.

There were several times though, Elena would turn and expect Kathy to be next to her. This was something she would have been glued to Elena's side during. Having Caroline with her helped a great deal though.

Rose and the Salvatore's followed behind the girls at first before branching off and exploring for themselves. She knew Mystic Falls wasn't big on newcomers but figured her housemates would be fine. It wasn't like they were going to cause any trouble. Elena thought about Damon's temper. Well, hopefully they wouldn't get into any trouble.

"Have you seen Bonnie, yet?" Caroline asked as they took a break from all their many rides. They stood in line waiting for Elena's funnel cake. Caroline was already halfway through with the pink cotton candy she'd gotten a few minutes before. "I told her you were back in town. She sounded happy. Even said she was thinking about dropping by for a visit."

Elena frowned. "I don't think Bonnie would find me to be good company."

"Oh, come on. She doesn't hold anything against you."

Elena had a hard time believing this. She'd accused her once best friend of being some kind of monster because she wasn't completely human. And if that wasn't bad enough, she'd tried to peg Kathy's vanished body on her as well. No, there was no way Bonnie Bennett wanted to see her.

Caroline and Elena roamed around the fair grounds as they ate their sweets. They made small talk about the things they'd done since Elena left town. That old time feeling was gone though. Talking about Bonnie brought a lot of memories Elena had kept buried for a while.

It wasn't until Damon showed up that any real tension fell.

"We need to talk," He demanded towards Elena.

"I don't have anything to say to you."

Damon sighed. "Can you stop being childish for one minute?"

Elena's mouth fell open. "Childish! You have some nerve calling _me _childish. Are you forgetting that your the one with feelings for someone who's long gone? Oh and what about - "

"Alright, I get it," He interrupted. Elena met his eyes despite her efforts not too. Urgent and alarm stared back at her. "We really need to talk. _Now, _Elena."

Elena told Caroline she'd be right back. Damon was pulling her away before her sentence was complete. They weaved through the crowd with ease. It wasn't until Elena had already followed Damon into the empty hallway of the high school before Elena realized where they had been headed. Damon didn't stop past the double doors they came through, instead he kept on going down the hall. Elena wondered just how he could walk so confident when he hadn't a clue as to where he was going.

Damon walked into a familiar classroom - hadn't this been her history room? - and closed the door tightly behind them. He kept glancing around like he was expecting someone to jump out at them.

"Gonna tell me what's going on now?" She asked, leaning against the teachers desk at the front of the class.

"We've got company." Obviously when Elena didn't react to his approval, Damon sighed and tacked on a little more information. "Company in the _psycho mob _department."

A chill tiptoed it's way down her spine. "Are you sure?"

"Rose spotted two men trying to blend with the fair goes. She says they are some of Tony's best men."

Elena straighted, fear playing a large factor into her emotions. "I thought this would be the last place they'd look." She cursed herself for not seeing that as a foolish idea. They should have stopped here and kept going a day or two afterwards. Spending a week in one place had been stupid of them. "What are we gonna do?"

"Go to Plan C," Damon replied easily.

She wasn't aware there had been a Plan B. "Which is?"

"Come up with Plan B. Or any kind of plan in general."

**a.n.: Please, for those of you getting bored, bare with me. Action and Fluff are sure to come, I promise! :) Reviews are welcomed as well.**


	15. Chapter 15: Darkness

**Chapter 15 - Darkness**

"I don't think it'll work," Elena objected.

Taking up the front three desk in the classroom were Elena, Stefan and Rose. They were all confused by Damon's so called "flawless" plan of action. It obviously wasn't one of his best ideas, and they could all tell he was more or less making it up as he went along. It had obviously been thought u on the spot - if any thought had gone into it at all. But with Tony's men closing in, a five minute plan was all they had to work with right about now.

"Your plan is to - "

Damon sighed loudly, interrupting. "Elena. Please. We don't have time to go over the plan again. Besides, you didn't think my last plan would work. But," Damon gestured towards Stefan. "Little Brother is safe, sound and free, isn't he?"

Elena gave him a look. "You're forgetting some of that jailbreak was staged."

"Oh. Right." Damon waved a hand in the air, dismissing what he'd just come to realize. "It doesn't matter. This is going to work."

"Can we just get on with this and save the lover's quarrel for later?" Rose suggested, standing up from the desk she'd been seated in for the last ten minutes. Elena and Damon's mouths fell open at her dig, but overall they both let it pass. Now wasn't the time to defeat the love they weren't currently admitting too.

Elena rolled her eyes, annoyed. "Fine." She stood up from the desk she'd been seated in and started for the door. Hand on the doorknob, she turned back and glared at Damon. "But if I die, I'm coming back to haunt you."

Damon smirked, jumping off the teachers desk. "Wouldn't want it any other way."

xxx

"How do you know we're not just playing right into their hands?" Elena whispered, moving through the school hallways with Damon, Stefan and Rose.

"I don't," Damon replied truthfully. Elena thought she heard a bit of snark in his voice as well.

She rolled her eyes, glancing at Stefan and Rose. "That's reassuring."

As they walked Elena felt the urge to look over her shoulder every few seconds. Placing their escape in the hands of Damon hadn't been Elena's idea and to be honest, she was against it. She'd seen his earlier plans in action. They didn't always go accordingly. Stefan, on the other, seemed to have this blind trust placed in his brother. It had been his idea to follow behind Damon like puppies who'd lost their way. Rose agreed with whatever Stefan thought, seeming to have the same trust in Damon that Stefan did. Elena couldn't figure out why they trusted Damon so wholeheartedly. She for one wouldn't be doing so anytime soon.

Damon came to a stop so suddenly, Elena nearly stumbled into his back. She sighed softly. As one, Stefan, Rose and Elena all leaned around their faithful leader in wonderment of why he'd come to a stop. Ahead, there was a set of double doors. A hallway behind them, and one on either side of them. No the question seemed to be which way did they go.

If Elena remembered correctly, the hall on the left led to the cafeteria and the right led to the gym. Sounds of the carnival could be heard just beyond the doors.

Before anyone could voice a question, screams erupted from outside. All at once, the double doors flew open and people began to flood the halls. Everyone seemed to be in a panic, desperate to escape a threat the foursome was unaware of. In the chaos, all four of them ended up being pushed and shoved in different directions. Following the crowd was easier then fighting against it.

Elena found herself running towards the gym in a mob of unfamiliar faces. "Damon?" She called, hoping to be heard over the shouts of everyone else. Unlikely. "Rose! Stefan!" She listened, but heard none of the voices she wanted too.

Breaking away from the crowd, which seemed to be heard for the set of door that led straight for the parking lot, Elena dashed underneath the bleachers. No one noticed. She bent over, bracing her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.

It took all of ten minutes, but finally the gym filled with silence. Such silence that it caused her ears to ache. It was unnerving. Slowly, Elena left the safety of the bleachers. Her tennis shoes too loud in the otherwise silent room, the sound seeming to echo off the walls and bounce back at her. Suddenly, a chill ran down her back and Elena felt like someone was watching her.

She swung around, saw no one. "Damon?" Elena called again.

Elena was in the middle of the gym now. Every few seconds, she'd feel someones eyes bearing into her back. Every cell in her body was screaming at her to run. But her feet didn't want to move. Elena knew if she ran, she'd be chased. She was, after all, the prey in this situation.

And then, without warning, the dim lights in the gym flicked off and Elena was plunged into darkness.

xxx

Damon, having got turned around in the crowd, had ended up in the parking lot. Cars shot out of there like there was no tomorrow. He'd caught bits and pieces of panicked conversations, teenagers exclaiming that someone had been shot. Damon felt this had Tony written all over it. Leave it to the mobster to flush out his targets by killing innocent people.

In no time at all, the parking lot was empty, save for Elena's car and a familiar looking Ford Focus. Damon thought he'd seen the silver ford once before, when Blondie stopped by to pay Elena a visit.

Feeling like a deer out in the open, Damon ventured back into the school. It was eerily quiet. Perhaps too quiet. As to not draw in the attention of anyone with dishonorable intentions looking for him, Damon crept through the halls of the school as if he were walking in a field of bombs.

There was a scream. Throwing cation to the wind - because the scream sounded like it belonged to Elena - Damon shot forward in the direction he thought it'd come from. Damon throw open the door labeled "Gym" only to see inky darkness.

"Elena?" He called into the pitch black.

"Damon!" Elena's voice was muffled, as if someone had their hand over her mouth.

Without thinking, Damon charged into room. The door he'd come through clicked shut behind him, taking what little light there was. Damon walked blindly through the gym, listening for anything to tell him where Elena might be.

"Where are you?" There was no answer. "Elena? Elena!"

Someone laughed from behind Damon. But, before he could spin around, something whacked him on the back of the head. Damon's body and mind gave out as another scream from Elena cut through the darkness.


	16. Chapter 16: Honeymoon Suite

**Chapter 16 - Honeymoon Suite**

"Damon, get up!" Elena whisper faintly, shaking Damon. He stirred slightly. Elena glanced around, her eyes having adjusted to the darkness, and didn't see anything in the form of a threat. But that didn't mean much. "Damon!" Elena hissed again, her shaking becoming more violent.

Finally, Damon groaned and struggled to sit up. "What happened?" He asked, voice thick with confusion.

"I'll explain later. We need to get out of here!"

Elena thought she saw him nod as she helped him to his feet. The two of them stumbled their way towards the double doors everyone else had filed out through minutes before. The night was lite with moonlight in which they were both grateful for after being in the darkened room. As they reached the near empty parking lot, Damon suddenly came to a stop.

"Stefan?"

Elena tugged him along. "He'll be fine. He's older enough to take care of himself, remember?"

Damon didn't put up much of a fight and let Elena help him towards her car. Once Damon was seated in the passenger seat, Elena jogged around to the driver's side.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" Damon asked after they'd cleared out of the parking lot and started down the road. His hand clung to the back of his head. Elena could tell his head was throbbing and wondered if she should be taking him to a hospital.

"There's not much to tell. Some guys knocked you out and made out like they were going to take me. But... they didn't. They were there one second and gone the next."

"Damn vampires," Damon muttered.

Elena glanced at him, then back at the road. "I don't understand. Since when do vampires do Tony's dirty work for him?"

"I don't think they were with Tony."

"So you're tell me there's more than one psycho out there looking to kill us?"

"It's likely."

"How so?"

"Let's just say your sister had a lot of enemies."

Elena scoffed. "No surprise there."

xxx

Going back to Jenna's was a stupid idea. Any of Elena's friends would ask too many questions. So, Elena and Damon stopped instead at a cheap motel on the outskirts of town.

The last room vacant was, shudderingly enough, the honeymoon suite. Red lace plastered the walls that were showing signs of water damage; the carpet too soft. The bed had to be the worse. As if the red silk sheets weren't bad enough, there was a coin slot on the side that made the bed vibrate when you added change. Damon's face lite up far too much to Elena's liking when he spotted it. The bathroom, at least, wasn't a complete loss. There was a decent sized shower that wasn't oozing with spiders or cockroaches.

Elena locked the front door as securely as possible in the rundown motel. She grabbed two towels off the bed and didn't bother calling the shower first. Damon was making himself comfortable on the large bed, all the while pressing an ice pack to his head, when she disappeared into the bathroom.

The shower started off nice and hot. Five minutes in and right in the middle of rinsing, the hot turned to a stinging cold that caused Elena to yelp with surprise. Any relaxation that was settling in vanished as she hastily rinsed the soap from her hair with the chilling water. It wasn't until she was climbing out of the shower that it dawned on her that she had no more clothes. With a sigh, Elena slid her panties, bra and t-shirt back on. She hated the idea of sleeping in jeans, knowing how they went in all the wrong places each and every time you even attempted to shift in your sleep.

She peeked her head out the door just an inch, glanced around for Damon. He was already buried under the silk sheets. His eyes were closed and his breathing even. Elena hoped he was asleep as he seemed to be. She hung her towels over the shower rod, folded her jeans and tiptoed out of the bathroom. She tossed her jeans in the armchair, flicked off the lamp and settled her own self under the smooth sheets.

Elena was just slipping into that comfortable place that came just before the blissfulness of sleep took over, when Damon's voice breaking through the darkness said, "You have to admit, this is kind of kinky."

Elena screamed, then felt stupid for doing so. The soft chuckling from Damon told her he found this funny. At least one of them was enjoying themselves. She huffed, unsure of who she was more frustrated with. Damon for seeing this all as any other guy would or at herself for screaming.

"I don't see the kinky aspect, sorry," She muttered.

Damon rolled over. When he spoke this time she could feel his breath whispering on her neck. It sent goosebumps from head to toe. "Come on. We're both half-naked in a vibrating bed. I call that some form of kinky."

Elena sighed in annoyance only Damon could cause her. She rolled over to lay on her back. The mirror above the bed startled her at first, then Damon waving with just his fingertips struck her as funny. Buttoning her giggles as best she could, Elena turned her head away from the mirror and faced Damon. Elbow propped up, head resting on palm, eyes dancing with mischief. There seemed to be a never ending supply of curious and mysterious emotion bubbling through out Damon. If he wasn't looking pissed, his eyes shone as if he knew something she didn't. What could he know that she didn't right now?

"If this bed starts vibrating you're sleeping outside," Elena warned once her mood sobered. Damon held up his hand and gave Elena the scouts honor sign. "You were never a boy scout!" She laughed again and shoved his shoulder.

Damon caught her hand before she could retract it back to her. Any amusement she'd felt a moment before vanished at his touch. Elena moved from her back to her side so that they were face to face. His grip was gentle as he held her wrist. Elena twisted her wrist around so that her hand faced herself. Then she dropped her wrist forward, twisted it to the side, slipping mostly out of his hold and under his thumb. Fingers now underneath his, slowly she brought them up again, weaving them into his.

They sat there for the longest time with their hands clasped between them and eyes searching one another. Elena was sure she wasn't the only one uncertain of just what her eyes were looking for. All she knew was that something must be there in his blue eyes to explain what she was feeling. After the other day she'd been positive there would be no Damon Salvatore in her future. Laying here now, caught up in each other's eyes, Elena was almost certain Damon would be in her life a long time.

As if sharing the thought, both scooted forward. There was only an inch of space between them now. Damon moved his elbow from where it rested on the pillow - also made of the same cheap red silk as the sheets - and placed his head down. Elena mirrored his actions, moving her arm underneath her pillow as she saw him do. They were equals now, matching in more than posture.

It was a surprise to them both when Elena was the first to lean forward. The closer they drew together the faster her heartbeat. For a second time, Damon and Elena shared a kiss. Neither felt bad about it this time and both allowed themselves to fully enjoy the feel of each others lips. Soon, hands were roaming bodies and legs tangled together. Their kisses grew passionate as tongues tangled from her mouth to his.

When Damon's fingertips moved too far upward, they seemed to share the same thought once again and pulled away. Elena and Damon stared at one another for a long while, each breathing equally heavy.

"Now what?" Damon wondered aloud, eyes darting from lips to eyes.

Elena shook her head knowing where he was going with this. "It's not gonna happen tonight, Damon."

"So, there will be a next time you consider sleeping with me?" She almost laughed. Elena started to turn over, but Damon drew her in for another kiss. "You know you want me," Damon whispered afterwards in a manner that made the goosebumps return. He was right, she did. But not like this. Not _here _of all places either.

"Don't ever mistake me for easy, Mr. Salvatore," Elena replied in a sassy voice. On that note, Elena moved back to her side of the bed and turned her back to him.

She could hear the smile in his voice when he spoke again, "Never."

xxx

Elena woke up to vibrating. She tucked the covers over her head, groaned and slapped blindly in the direction she thought Damon was in. To her surprise, Damon slapped playfully back at her.

"I said no vibrating," She muttered irritatedly, voice thick with sleep.

"You never said anything about phones," He replied in an airy voice.

She sighed, throwing away the silk sheets and fumbling for her cell phone. "Hello?" Elena answered, climbing out of bed. There would be no going back to sleep.

"You're alive!" Rose exclaimed from the other end.

"Yes, Damon and I are very much alive." Elena worked her way into her jeans, stealing a glance at Damon. He was still wrapped up in the sheets, looking as if he wanted nothing more than to fall back to sleep. "What about you and Stefan? Everything alright?" At the mention of his brother's name, Damon popped one eye open.

Rose's reply was, "We're both fine, spent the night with your friend Alaric. Where did you two stay?"

Elena answered quickly. "With Caroline - "

"What would Vampire Barbie need with a vibrating bed?" Damon called just loud enough so that Rose would over hear him.

"A wha - "

"Nothing! We'll meet you at Ric's in an hour." Elena hung up before Rose could ask any questions. She noticed Damon was smirking as he got out of bed. "I hope you're happy."

Damon flashed her a smile. "Very much so."

"I'm gonna go grab us some food. Be ready by the time I get back," Elena said, grabbing her keys off the nightstand and heading for the door.

Damon caught her arm, pulling her a step back so that they were face-to-face. "So demanding," He said, kissing her quickly before adding, "I like it."

Elena rolled her eyes and pushed him towards the shower. A minute later, she was gone. Damon had just got the shower going when he heard her cell phone in the other room. He sighed, wrapped a towel around his waist and headed for the cell.

"Hello?"

"We have a problem." The voice of the younger Salvatore floated from the other line.

Damon smirked, thinking about last night. "I can't think of any problems, little brother."

"I'm changing, Damon."

"You're not fourteen, Stefan. These changes have been happening for years."

Stefan muttered something Damon didn't catch. "I'm not joking! I'm changing back!"

All amusement faded from Damon's mind. "What?"

"I'm changing back into a Vampire!" Stefan exclaimed. "Fangs, Hunger, strength and all. The cure has stopped working."

"Impossible," Damon snapped.


End file.
